School of Theatre, Television, and Film presents the Mainstage Production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in a 1980s Retro Remix

The San Diego State University School of Theatre, Television and Film presents William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by Dani Bedau, on SDSU’s Prebys Stage. Performances run Wednesday, Dec. 3, through Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 2 p.m. Opening night on Dec. 3 is already sold out.

In this vibrant 1980s reimagining of Twelfth Night, professor and Shakespeare expert Dani Bedau directs this joyfully nostalgic production for the seventh time in her career, and for the first time in SDSU’s main stage season.

“When I do any play at this stage in my life, I am looking for what is gonna make it joyful,” Bedau said.

Set in a sun-soaked Southern California beach town, this Twelfth Night is filled with neon costumes and roller skates, with 1980s songs setting the scene. “Music is always the primary focus — this is how I find my way into the play.”

In collaboration with resident sound designer Paul Peterson, Bedau brings their shared experience of being kids of the ’80s to the sound design, with hits like “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House and “Babe” by Styx making it personal and nostalgic.

Twelfth Night is well known for its trickery around the female character Viola disguising herself as the male Cesario, bringing her closer to her love, and giving audiences an opportunity to open new conversations about gender and identity.

“Gender was really different in the ’80s than it is now,” Bedau said. “Rehearsals have become a space to consider what it means to live authentically, both in the ’80s and today.”

By connecting Shakespeare’s themes of disguise and self-discovery to the cultural limitations of the 1980s, this production invites the cast to explore how identity is performed, expressed, and understood across time, bringing both the play and its questions of authenticity vividly to life.

Bedau hopes both the audience and performers can use this experience to take ownership of Shakespearean text. She understands that Shakespeare’s language can be intimidating, as she herself had to revisit it to fall in love with it.

“My hope is that audiences can come away from this show embracing the beauty of the text and the joy of it performed with this exceptional cast of students,” she said.

Tickets are available at https://ttf.sdsu.edu/calendar.