What are the responsibilities and job description for the Casting: William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night position at brooklynONE productions?
DESCRIPTION
Twelfth Night, or What You WillSynopsis
Welcome to Illyria Cruise Lines! Where brooklynONE productions has reimagined Shakespeare's classic as a sun-soaked romp where romance, class, and mistaken identity collide somewhere between the buffet deck and the mandatory safety demonstration. When Viola is separated from her twin brother after their vessel is torn asunder by a violent storm, she manages to climb aboard the most luxurious ship in the Adriatic Sea. Trying to get her bearings and desperate to survive, she disguises herself as a crew member, catching the attention of the charming but lovesick Orsino, a wealthy passenger who pines for the attention of fellow passenger Olivia, who has secluded herself in mourning in the ship’s most exclusive quarters. But when Viola (in disguise) is sent to woo Olivia on Orsino’s behalf, Olivia falls instead for the quick-witted “Cesario,” setting off a whirlwind of confusion, flirtation, and comic chaos.
Onboard Illyria Cruise Lines, half the world lounges in vacation luxury while the other half keeps the illusion afloat below deck. Passengers chase romance through cocktail hours and moonlit promenades while crew members scheme in service corridors, engine rooms, and karaoke bars gone gloriously off the rails. Against this floating world of indulgence and illusion, Shakespeare’s comedy becomes a high-seas farce about reinvention, class, and longing. It's where shipwrecked hearts drift toward one another, and love arrives as unexpectedly as a storm.
Characters
Viola/Cesario — A shipwreck survivor who sneaks aboard Illyria (Cruise Lines) by posing as crew, Viola is pulled into the invisible labor sustaining luxury and caught between survival and desire.
Sebastian — Viola’s twin, presumed lost at sea, who arrives on Illyria (Cruise Lines) as an accidental guest and is washed into privilege he doesn’t understand.
Orsino — A wealthy passenger using the cruise as a curated emotional retreat, Orsino performs his own heartbreak as leisure and obliviously pursues love like another onboard amenity.
Olivia — An insulated first-class passenger in self-imposed mourning. Controlled and magnetic, she disrupts the ship’s social equilibrium the moment she becomes interested in someone she shouldn’t.
Malvolio — The ship’s ambitious chief steward. Intensely self-serious, he mistakes authority for destiny and becomes easy prey in a world built on illusion.
Maria — Olivia’s personal assistant, Maria is sharp, observant, and opportunistic. She understands that chaos is often the only route to agency in a system designed to keep her invisible.
Sir Toby Belch — Olivia’s hedonistic uncle and permanent guest. Beneath the endless cocktails and blurred nights Jimmy Buffett would blush at, he is a man who knows exactly how to weaponize indulgence.
Sir Andrew Aguecheek — A wealthy but insecure passenger orbiting Sir Toby, Sir Andrew mistakes proximity to privilege for belonging. He drifts through the ship desperate for acceptance and romantic validation.
Feste — The ship’s lounge performer and unofficial observer, Feste moves between decks like a ghost in plain sight. Equal parts entertainer and commentator, they reveal truths the guests are paying very good money not to hear.
Antonio — An eccentric guest who rescues Sebastian and follows him, fanny pack in tow, into the cruise’s opulent ecosystem.
Please note that bit parts (such as Captain, Officers 1&2, etc.) will be chosen during the callback/chemistry read stage for sake of efficiency
DURATION
May 30, 2026 - Aug 9, 2026
- NON-UNION