For Immediate Release: July 19, 2005
Media Contact: Elizabeth Eckhardt, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, 215.496.9722

The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, under the Artistic Direction of Carmen Khan, is proud to announce the formation of a new program, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival Young Professional Company, and its inaugural production of Twelfth Night, directed by Emmy Miller and Jonah Cohen, running August 4th through 14th of 2005. The Press Opening Night performance will be Friday, August 5, 2005 at 7:00 pm.

In the spirit of The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival's commitment to education and to presenting accessible productions of the highest caliber, tickets to Twelfth Night will be free of charge. Members of the company will also be offered a series of master classes in Shakespearean text and performance as part of the rehearsal process.

The Young Professional Company's mission is to provide talented early-career professionals of all ages the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, training and professional exposure.

Twelfth Night, Shakespeare's gender-bending comedy of love and mistaken identities has long been a favorite with audiences. Twin siblings are separated by a sea storm, and each presume the other dead. Before finding their way back to each other they manage to win the affections of nearly everyone they meet! Containing some of Shakespeare's most memorable characters and the most exquisite poetry ever written in the English language, this play is sure to entertain and delight audiences of all ages!

Directors Emmy Miller and Jonah Cohen are proud to be joining The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival. Both Miller and Cohen are educators, they run and direct a unique program at The Shipley School, teaching and producing Shakespeare's works from September through May, and offer an intensive course in Shakespearean Text and Performance during the summer. Miller is a two-time graduate of Brown University, where she directed Shakespeare productions as a student and earned a Masters in Latin and Greek. Cohen is also a graduate of Brown University, previous director/producer for the Echolalia Theater Company, and has performed and directed Shakespeare's works in many venues.

Twelfth Night will run August 4th through 14th of 2005. Performance times: Thursdays Fridays and Saturdays 7 pm; Sundays 2pm. All performances will be held in the intimate 125-seat theatre at 2111 Sansom Street. Tickets are available 1-hour before show time at the Box Office and are free of charge, first come first serve. An Opening Night Performance Fundraiser and Party will be held on the evening of August 4th. Tickets for the Fundraiser Opening can be purchased for $50 by calling 215-496-9722. For more information please call 215-496-9722 or e-mail marketing@phillyshakespeare.org.

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