Staging "Twelfth Night"

The third in a series of articles about Bellairs performing with the College of Saint Teresa Drama Department.

John Bellairs began teaching at the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, Minnesota, in September 1963 and soon began participating in plays produced by the college's drama department.

Twelfth Night" is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–02 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season [1]. Members of the College of Saint Teresa Speech and Drama Department performed the play in May of 1964. The production commemorated the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth [2].

Performances

The play was performed on six subsequent nights, starting at 8 p.m. [3]

• Monday, May 4, 1964
• Tuesday, May 5, 1964
• Wednesday, May 6, 1964
• Thursday, May 7, 1964
• Friday, May 8, 1964
• Saturday, May 9, 1964

The production was staged in-the-round in the Bonaventure Reading Room in Saint Teresa Hall.

Cast

Players in the production were from Saint Mary's College (SMC), Winona State College (WSC), and Cotter High School (CHS), in addition to the College of Saint Teresa (CST) [2].

Students

• Michael Biesanz (CHS) - Sir Andrew Aguecheek
• Nichilas De Martino (WSC) - Antonio
• Michaela Game - Lady-in-waiting
• Joann Geberbauer (CST) - Duke's page
• Michele Gentry (CST) - Duke's page
• JoAnn Howlett - Lady-in-waiting
• Jane Irvine - Lady-in-waiting
• Patricia Luger (CST) - Valentine
• Barbara Martin - Lady-in-waiting
• Barbara O'Brien (CST) - Feste
• William Paltzman (SMC) - Sebastian
• Daniel Papenfuss (SMC) - Fabian
• Ted Roberton (WSC) - Duke Orsino
• Marvin Rouse (WSC) - officer / sailor
• Carol Stalzer (CST) - Olivia
• L. William Tiegs (WSC) - officer / sailor
• Jerome Wadian (SMC) - Curio / officer
• Susan Wedl (CST) - Maria
• Kathleen Wilmer - Viola

Faculty

• John Bellairs - Sir Toby Belch
• Robert Oram - Malvolio
• Richard J. Weiland - Sea captain

Crew

• Robert Oram - Director
• Paul R. Parthun - music director
• Richard J. Weiland - technical director

Reviews

• "...a spirited romp that has its ups and downs, but always manages to be at least entertaining."[4]
• "Other favorites are John Bellairs' Sir Toby Belch and Michael Biesanz's Sir Andrew Aguecheek.  The two roister convincingly, but sometimes so loudly one has difficulty in determining what it's all about.  Their best scene is a relatively quiet one during which they simply sit and do a perfect portrayal of two drunks in one of the latter stages of alcoholic profundity."[4]

References

• [1] Wikipedia: Twelfth Night
• [2] "St. Teresa's To Present Twelfth Night".  Winona Daily News, Apr. 27, 1964.
• [3] 'Twelfth Night' To Be Played At St. Teresa's'.  Winona Daily News, Apr. 13, 1964.
• [4] "'Twelfth Night' Presented at Saint Teresa's in the Round". Winona Daily News, May 8, 1964.

(Above) Mr. Robert Oram, (left) as Malvolio, is seen here asking Sir Toby Belch played by Mr. John Bellairs to leave Olivia's house as Maria played by Ms. Susan Wedl, and Sea Captain, Mr. Richard Weiland, look on (p. 2, College of Saint Teresa Aldine, 1965). The photo is reproduced in the Winona Daily News (May 3, 1964) where it is said this "hilarious moment...is enacted in rehearsal."

(Above) Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek listen as Festee played by Barbara O'Brien serenades. Twelfth Night, given in the spring of 1964, was directed by Robert Oram, Drama Department, now on sabbatical leave (College of Saint Teresa Aldine, 1965)].

(Above)  "Most wonderful!" exclaims Olivia, played by Carol Stalzer as she discovers the true identity of Viola played Kathleen Wimer (College of Saint Teresa Aldine, 1965).