Twelfth Night

Tier5 Theatre Company presents...

TWELFTH NIGHT (or WHAT YOU WILL)

by William Shakespeare

“If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it...”

Directed by James Cougar Canfield

Thursday, April 23rd through Sunday, May 3rd, 2026

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7pm,

Sundays at 2pm

plus additional performances

Sunday, April 26th at 7pm, Monday, April 27th at 7pm

and Thursday, April 30th at 2pm

All performances to take place at

El Barrio's ArtSpace PS109

215 E 99th St, New York, NY 10029

The theatre space is ADA-accessible.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Welcome to Illyria: Crossroads of the World. A place where music reigns supreme and the joy is overflowing. Well, at least that’s how it once was. After a series of tragedies, our rock ’n’ rollers and pop monarchs just aren’t making the hits like they used to: and the once colorful, full-of-life, and musically magical Illyria is a little off-key.

Duke Orsino is looking for the Britney to his Justin, and his eyes are set on pop legend Olivia (no last name necessary). But things are little Lilith Unfair for Olivia, who just experienced the tragic loss of both her brother and father, and all that she wants is Orsino to go bye-bye-bye.

So when a devastating storm washes newcomer Viola up on Illyria’s shore- her debut is about to take her to the top of the charts. Viola takes “if I were a boy” to heart, as she disguises herself as a dude to get into Duke Orsino’s boyband. But, when Orsino sends the androgynous Viola to help seduce Olivia for him, well… Olivia can’t help falling in love with this new kid on the block- but Viola can't take her eyes off of Orsino- It’s getting messy af, but maybe a little love can be the inspiration that turns Illyria’s flop era into the ultimate comeback?

Completing Tier5’s ShakesQueer Comedy trilogy (after A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2024, Much Ado About Nothing in 2025), we’re taking Shakespeare's romantic comedy about gender bending mistaken identities and turning it up to 11. Come fall in love at El Barrio: join us for a night of laughter, romance, and rock ‘n’ roll.

Note: Elements of the show will be immersive, they are not interactive. We ask all patrons to respect the actors as they move through the space.

CW Warning: Discussions of death and grief. Flashing lights.

Recommended for ages 12+

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ABOUT THE TICKETS

In honor of Shakespeare's Birth/Death Day, all general admission tickets for this opening night performance are $23 (including fees!). Come celebrate the incredible life and artistry of William Shakespeare while we open one of his very best!

For each performance, a limited number of $10 accessiblity tickets will be available. We encourage those who can afford the general admission tickets to purchase them and reserve these $10 tickets for those who may need more financial assistance. No assigned seating.

Tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to make your performance, we may be able to transfer your ticket to another show, based on availability.

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ABOUT THE EVENING

Run Time: TBD

House will open 15 minutes prior to the curtain time. Late seating will be at the discretion of the house manager. No refunds will be provided for late arrivals.

No outside food allowed. Wine, soda, and water will be available to purchase before the show and during intermission.

Masks are optional.

Directions

When entering El Barrio's ArtSpace, you will proceed through the gates, straight ahead into the main building. Inside the theatre, take the stairs or elevator to your right down one level. Once on the lower level, proceed to your right and you will see our box office table.

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CAST

TBA

CREATIVES

Stage Manager | Veronica Murphy

Assistant Stage Manger | Siobhan Petersen

Production Assistant | Huston S. Waston Jr.

Costume Design | Adanne Spencer-Johnson

Sound Design & House Management | James Cougar Canfield

Lighting Design & Technical Management | Kim Sanchez

Media Design | M. Hatten

Tier5 Executive Producer | James Cougar Canfield

Tier5 Associate Producer | Diane Bertrand-Goldsmith

Tier5 Associate Producer | M. Hatten

Tier5 Literary Manager | Charlotte Ferraro

Co- Producer | Joni Canfield

ABOUT TIER5 THEATRE COMPANY

2026 marks Tier5’s 10th anniversary of producing theatre.

We are so thrilled to be celebrating Ten Years of Tier5 with you.

Founded in London, then relocated to NYC, Tier5 takes classic tales and historical events and retells them on stage in a new light, focusing on bringing those excluded from the narrative right to center stage.

Our previous award winning and critically acclaimed original shows include Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII (Hollywood Fringe International Award Winner 2017, regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare), meg jo beth amy & louisa (regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare Company), The Christmas Carol: A Queer Fantasia (Metrosource Top Pick, premiered at the Access Theatre in NYC), and The Secret Garden (regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare Company)

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tier5 began creating virtual content, including launching the Tier5 Sings! virtual concert series and our recent virtual new play festival, Fairytales From Home.

In 2021, Tier5 premiered our very first animated venture, Tier5's Romeo & Juliet: The Tragic Tale of Two Animal Cross-ed Lovers. Released in five parts over five weeks, the animated series combines the voice acting of our Tier5 talent with the adorable characters of the Nintendo video game phenomenon, Animal Crossing. It was featured in Digital World, an evening celebrating exceptional work in the digital arts. All episodes are currently available to stream on our YouTube channel.


In December 2022, after nearly a three-year hiatus from live performance, Tier5 returned to in-person productions with a staged reading of James Cougar Canfield’s play, Legend of the Chalk Circle, a wild and wacky retelling of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, at The Tank NYC. The reading was a sold-out success, and the show transferred to a full production in March 2023 at the American Theatre of Actors in NYC.


Tier5 has continued to partner with The Tank NYC to produce work-in-progress staged readings, including The Secret Garden by James Cougar Canfield (August 2023), Julius: Harlem’s Caesar by M. Hatten (October 2023), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by James Cougar Canfield (January 2024), United in Love, Until Death by Amanda Thomas (January 2024), Styx & Stones by Seth Barnes (May 2024), John Deserves to Die by Rachel Greene (July 2024), Treasure Island by James Cougar Canfield (July 2025), and SpookyFest, a new play festival featuring scripts with unique takes on the horror genre (presented in Fall 2024 and 2025)

In 2024, Tier5 began its residence at El Barrio’s ArtSpace PS109 with a Season of ShakesQueer, featuring our full production transfer of M. Hatten’s Julius: Harlem’s Caesar and our Pride-themed take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For Summer 2025, we continued our celebration of ShakesQueer at El Barrio with a gender defying, White Lotus themed Much Ado About Nothing. All three were award nominated and acclaimed.

Tier5’s focus on revisiting classic tales and historical narratives in a modern context with contemporary voices, humor, and pathos has become a staple of the company. Tier5 believes in and will continue to strive towards creating a safe, inclusive, and anti-racist environment for our creatives, actors, and audiences.

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Social Media: @tier5theatrecompany

Website: Tier5TheatreCompany.com

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