USC’s School of Dramatic Arts (SDA) is preparing to begin its four-day showing of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” The performance marks the first SDA production of 2026 and will run Thursday through Sunday in USC’s Bing Theatre, with two showings available on Saturday.
Directed by USC professors Kate Burton and Paul Urcioli, the pair brings a depth of experience to their production. Both Burton and Urcioli have spent time working on Broadway and in Hollywood, using their knowledge to manage the balance between teaching and directing. Additionally, they have both directed the Shakespeare classic before, with Thursday’s opening night marking the third time working on “Twelfth Night” for Urcioli.
The duo and their cast and crew began rehearsal on January 12, giving them just over one and a half months to prepare.
“In the perfect world … you cast people who are really good at Shakespeare… but we have to be directors as well as teachers,” said Urcioli. “Here, you have to remind them about good use of iambic pentameter, and keep your line endings up, and keep your thoughts. There’s a lot of textual work we do.”
He said he feels a great sense of gratitude for the team’s collaboration.
“On our first day of rehearsal, we did the math and we had 46 days to put it up,” Urcioli said. “I go home and I tell my wife, ‘If I were doing this alone, I would have either been dead or had a nervous breakdown.’ We’ve been able to divide, and it’s just cut the production time in half.”
Burton noted that most plays typically rehearse for around seven hours a day. In contrast, she said“Twelfth Night” rehearsals only spanned four hours, which created an emphasis on collaboration and punctuality.
The directors made sure to give credit to their assistant director, Casey Hilton, who they described as the connective tissue between them. The performance represents Hilton’s third time assistant directing an SDA show, but her first time working in the Bing Theatre.
“It has been really cool to be in the space the whole time,” she said. “It’s a giant theatre where everyone has to see what you’re doing and actually understand what actors are feeling from however many seats away.”
Each person involved in the production put in numerous hours, six times a week, trying to perfect their role.
Alexandra Everboch, who is receiving her MFA in acting, plays Viola in the show. She said she was one of many actors involved who spent long hours preparing for their roles.
“We’ve had really long days — this past week has felt like years,” Everboch said, “but I look forward to every day because of the people that I’m spending it with, and the joyful story that we’re telling.”
Burton and Urcioli worked around various challenges, such as scene and design execution, along with varying levels of Shakespearean experience among actors.
“[Shakespeare’s ”Twelfth Night”] was written 500 years ago. It can easily feel separate from us,” Everboch said. “I remember the first day of rehearsal, Kate told me that she played Viola in her second year at Yale. Immediately I was like, ‘oh, you have so much to offer me.’”
“They’ve both just been so insightful and helpful about both the text and the history of the play and of Shakespeare, and helping us find our footing, find our ground, find our voice in the play, and helping us discover what kind of story we want to tell,” Everboch said.
Edgar Landa, an adjunct lecturer at USC and fight director, was also brought in to help create scenes that emphasized drama and excitement. Landa worked alongside the directors to bring swordplay and the aspect of danger to life.
“A lot of times, people associate Shakespeare with tragedy,” said Joileeah Worley, a master’s student studying theatre. Worley plays Maria in the show.
“If you have never seen Shakespeare, Twelfth Night is the perfect introduction to Shakespeare,” Worley said.
USC students can receive discounted prices by logging into the ticket office using their student account. More information about the play can be found here.