When Dan Beaulieu directed a production of “Twelfth Night” at the University of New Hampshire 10 years ago as part of his senior project, he couldn’t quite go as far with the piece as he wanted. He envisioned something immersive, a production that broke down the traditional barriers and made the audience almost as much a part of the show as the actors.
Those ideas stuck with him, though. As the co-founder and artistic director of Seven Stages Shakespeare Company, he’s staged plenty of the Bard’s plays in the Seacoast. But he didn’t find the right venue for “What You Will (or Twelfth Night)” until 3S Artspace opened earlier this year. A decade in the making, Beaulieu’s production opens at 3S on Friday, June 5 and runs for two weekends.
After meeting with 3S Artspace executive director Chris Greiner last fall, Beaulieu says he knew the venue would match his vision.
“The space is a character in the piece,” he says. “It seemed like an environment that supported risks and supported artists.”
“We’re interested in reactions and people responding to feeling something in a way they’re not expecting … we go to theater
to feel.” — Dan Beaulieu
The production takes Shakespeare’s comedy out of its setting in the Balkans in the 17th century and moves it to a Weimar Republic-era speakeasy in 1920s Germany. The action takes place throughout the performance space, with a split stage and cabaret-style seating. Beaulieu says the actors will move through and interact with the audience, and Block Six, the restaurant at 3S, will provide food and drink that ties in with the play.
“’What you will’ is also the ethos we’re approaching the piece with,” he says. “It’s more immersive and nonlinear than a traditional play.”
How immersive? For starters, 3S Artspace chef Sam Ostrow is working on a special menu for the show, with a range of dishes that reflect the play’s themes. There will also be a specialty cocktail list that will mirror what the play’s characters would have been drinking in a 1920s Berlin speakeasy. Sensory experiences are a vital part of the production, according to Beaulieu, and he’s working with Ostrow on “exploring the possibility of smell in design.” In other words, during a scene that takes place in the morning, the audience might suddenly smell freshly brewed coffee, or cooked bacon. When a character of high status enters, the smell of lavender and truffles might follow them.
“(Ostrow is) such an artist, and his understanding of food and the palette is a learning experience,” Beaulieu says. “We’re interested in reactions and people responding to feeling something in a way they’re not expecting … we go to theater to feel.”
And, of course, the actors will be right there in the audience. There’s no backstage area, Beaulieu says. You might see an actor putting on make-up, but the context might not be clear — it could be an actor getting into character, or an actor playing a character disguising themselves as someone else.
“Everything is exposed,” Beaulieu says.
“It’s a disruptive play; it takes you out of the everyday.” — Christine Penney
If it’s been a while since you read or saw “Twelfth Night,” the basics are the same: twins Sebastian and Viola are separated. Viola disguises herself as a man and enters into the service of Duke Orsino, who is trying to woo Countess Olivia. Viola falls for Orsino and Olivia falls for Viola, whom she thinks is a man. Meanwhile, the members of Olivia’s entourage torment each other.
“This is one of the plays I’m not as familiar with, and that has been really fun,” says Christine Penney, Seven Stages Shakespeare Company’s co-artistic director. She’s playing Olivia in “What You Will.” “I’m letting (the play) sink into my bones. It feels really tingly. It’s a disruptive play; it takes you out of the everyday.”
For Beaulieu, moving the setting to Weimar-era Berlin brings some of the play’s themes and its energy into focus. In the decade between World War I and World War II, German culture went through profound changes. In Berlin, cabarets and speakeasies were popular, prostitution among all genders and sexual orientations was tacitly permitted, and artists, thinkers, and cultural leaders routinely crossed paths with the city’s underworld. German artists were transforming cinema, dance, design, and art, and the political chaos of the post-war years created an anything-goes attitude in Berlin.
“Consumption is a big theme in the play — our consumption of food, art, information, and each other. The way we consume is something worth exploring,” he says.
Beaulieu thinks consumption should be slower and more thoughtful. It’s something he hopes “What You Will” will encourage.
“It’s easy to have a fast-food, 30-second viral video mentality. As a culture, we’re losing a little of the five-course meal or five-act play
experience,” he says.
“What You Will (or Twelfth Night)” is on stage June 5-6 and June 11-13 with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Saturdays at 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth. Recommended for audiences 18 and over. Tickets are free or pay what you will and are available at 3Sarts.org or by calling 603-766-3330.