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Robert Figueira, a Kansas University junior and production assistant, works with Gail Trottier, a cutter and draper with the KU theater department, on piecing together a jacket for the production of Twelfth

“Twelfth Night,” as William Shakespeare wrote it, has a lot of twists and turns.

People aren’t who they appear to be. Subplots abound.

Jocelyn Buckner, a doctoral student at Kansas University, loves the play. But she wanted to make it more relevant for today – and to give it a social relevancy that may be somewhat controversial.

The result is a production of “Twelfth Night” set in New Orleans that opens Friday at KU’s University Theatre.

“The challenge in directing something that is not a contemporary work is how to make it speak to a contemporary audience,” Buckner says. “I wanted this to be a show that people would be excited about watching, and that engaged people throughout the entire show.”

Finding ‘identity’

First, the basic synopsis the way Shakespeare wrote it:

Twin siblings Viola and Sebastian are separated after a ship wreck. Viola, a girl, decides to don male attire and present herself to Orsino, the ruler of the country, as a young gentleman. Orsino makes her his servant, thinking she’s a man.

Orsino asks Viola to court the lovely Olivia for him. But Olivia, thinking Viola is a man, falls in love with her instead.

Though the original play raises questions of love and gender roles, the KU production adapted by Buckner has an added twist: The role of Orsino is a woman, making the marquee love interest a same-sex one.

“This isn’t done in a challenging way or a negative way,” Buckner says. “It’s done as a celebration of identity and finding oneself.”

Amy Virginia Buchanan, who plays Orsino, says she doesn’t think the change in the role alters Shakespeare’s message – in fact, she says, it may enhance it.

“As far as social commentary goes, it’s nice because it shows love can manifest itself anywhere, with anyone, and that’s definitely a good message,” says Buchanan, a junior from Stillwater, Okla. “I think that’s the message Shakespeare was trying to send out, that love can be found with whomever. We’re just amplifying his statement by switching the gender roles.”

Buchanan says, aside from obvious script changes that refer to Orsino as a “he,” the change makes for different dynamics than the original play.

“When Viola and Orsino are having their fight, it goes from being one where Orsino has so much control and power over Viola – because he’s a man yelling at a woman, he’s so much bigger you think he might hurt her – to one of more equal footing,” Buchanan says. “It’s not about one man’s love and rage toward his servant. It becomes a female fight that deals more with feelings.”

‘Inclusive’ message

The decision to set the play in New Orleans in 1917 seemed like a good fit, Buckner says. After all, Twelfth Night refers to the final of the 12 days of Christmas, historically a night of partying not that unlike Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Also, the play starts with a shipwreck, and New Orleans is a port city. Finally, Buckner says, the international influences in the Big Easy give added dimensions to some of the characters and their dialects.

Traditional music included in the Shakespeare text has been replaced by jazz procured from the Richard F. Wright Jazz Archive at KU.

“It has that whole Louisiana vibe,” says Jordan White, who plays Viola. “It makes the atmosphere one of relaxation, and makes it more real and more fun.”

White says she doesn’t think the gender swap in the play will cause controversy. After all, she says, the change is done for a reason and not for shock value.

“There’s this big love triangle, and it’s so that this whole lesbian addition to it will not be a hindrance that makes people leave at intermission,” she says.

Buckner agrees. She’s hoping the message will be one of tolerance.

“Orsino and Violet still fall in love,” she says. “Olivia and Sebastian still fall in love. It’s just that the community to which it speaks suddenly becomes more inclusive.”