The newly formed Irvington Shakespeare Company (ISC), in co-production with Make/Shift, is thrilled to be presenting William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at the beautiful O’Hara Nature Center in Irvington as our inaugural production.  All performances will be FREE to the public on three consecutive weekends in August 2021. We are proud to be in collaboration with Irvington Theater, Mercy College and the Village of Irvington Parks & Recreations Department on this production!

We are delighted to be partnering with the historic Irvington Theater in bringing this lively outdoor theatrical experience to Irvington residents and our river town neighbors.

Our goal is to raise $21,500!  These funds will primarily go to our wonderful cast of talented actors, musicians, artists and crew as well as help with costumes, sets and more.  We hope you’ll support us with a donation.

We’ve chosen to present Twelfth Night, as the play is a heartwarming comedic tale of love, loss, heartbreak, and reconciliation.

Set in a small village in the country (or what you will) in the early 1800s, our 90-minute production of Twelfth Night meshes the magical land of Illyria with the history of Irvington through a queer/genderqueer lens. This is a world in which nothing is as it appears and love shows itself in a myriad of ways.

Each character yearns to find a sense of belonging and acceptance on the beautiful island of Illyria. With live music performed by a Rip Van Winkle-inspired Feste and performances by a cast of seven actors, this female-led production hopes to spread a message of love and inclusivity as we emerge from this past year of isolation and grief for many. 

Through this production, ISC and Make/Shift plan to achieve three main objectives: (1) to produce high-quality theater for Irvington and the surrounding area, (2) to empower the work of local artists and organizations, and (3) provide entirely FREE performances to all audiences. 

Twelfth Night will be a cathartic and heartwarming theatrical event for audiences to experience as we collectively begin to recover from the shipwreck of the past year.

Our show will be staged at the O’Hara Nature Center’s performance space in East Irvington. What better setting for a magical summer evening of theatre while celebrating nature in the beautiful Irvington woods! Our cast and crew will highlight the talents of local residents throughout Irvington, the river towns, and the Hudson Valley (with a sprinkling of marvelous folks from NYC).  

Your donation to help bring outdoor summer Shakespeare to Irvington benefits everyone! Your support showcases you as a friend and partner of the arts and cultural growth of our village. For us, it’s a wonderful opportunity for a young professional theatre company to establish an audience in Irvington and the surrounding river towns.  Best of all, we’ll be providing a gift of free theatre to our friends and neighbors. We hope you can join us on this exciting journey and cheers to a great summer ahead!

Sincerely, 

Kamran Saliani (Founder/Artistic Director - ISC) 

Irene Lazaridis (Founder/Artistic Director - Make/Shift)