As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Twelfth Night, think about:

• How much of the shipwreck itself is shown. Has the director shown the moment before the play begins, when Viola and Sebastian are separated? Or, is the first indication of the shipwreck when Viola is washed ashore in Act 1 Scene 2? How have they chosen to show she is on the shore? Do you think it would be more effective to see the shipwreck or to see Viola for the first time as she comes ashore?
• How the designer has represented the shore of Illyria. What mood is created by this moment? How can you tell she has been washed up and what has happened to her?
• Viola and what you can infer about her character. This is the only time in most productions an audience will see Viola dressed as herself. Even in the final moments of the play, when everyone knows who she is, Viola is usually still dressed as ‘Cesario’. What do you think she is like? Can you tell what kind of life she had before the shipwreck?

How much of the shipwreck would you chose to show? In the 2017 production the play opened with Act 1 Scene 2 instead of Orsino’s court, because Christopher Luscombe and the company felt it was Viola’s story and it was important that she was the character that opened the play. How would you introduce her?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Twelfth Night, think about:

• How the director and designer have indicated to the audience that, to the other characters, Viola and Sebastian look identical. How have they used costume and mannerisms? In some productions they look very similar but in others they look less alike. Do you think it matters, when the audience already knows they are different people? How believable does the confusion need to be?
• How the responses of the other characters help to support the illusion that the twins are identical. In images where you can see the characters around them, how are they reacting? Thinking particularly about Olivia and Orsino, what is the impact of this moment on everyone else? How might they feel about the mistake they have made?
• What effect on the audience the director hopes this moment will create. For Viola and Sebastian this is a very tender and happy moment, where they are reunited with a close sibling who they thought was drowned, but for other characters it is a difficult moment in which their love and emotions have been played with. What impact do you think each director wants this moment to have? Is it a traditional comedy ending with everyone being happy and content or are there characters left dealing with difficult emotions?

How would you choose to dress Viola and Sebastian, thinking about voice and movement as well, so that it might be believable characters would confuse them? In this moment of reunion, which characters would you choose to focus on and how would you show their emotions and reactions?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Twelfth Night, think about:

• Orsino seems addicted to an idealised love for Olivia and listening to music is very important to him. How do you think the designs in the different productions reflect these key aspects of Orsino’s character?
• Olivia’s household has suffered two recent bereavements with the deaths of her father and brother. To what extent do the designs in the different productions reflect this situation? In the 2017 production Orsino’s household has been created as a small London apartment that Orsino uses to pursue his artistic ambitions while Olivia runs a large country estate after her brother’s death. What do these two different settings suggest about the two households?
• Several scenes at Olivia’s house take place in the gardens. How do the different productions give a sense of being outside?

What do you think the key differences are between Orsino and Olivia and how could you show these in designing their homes?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Twelfth Night, think about:

• How the designer has shown Olivia’s state of mourning and Malvolio’s change from earlier in the play. Malvolio has followed the instructions from Maria’s letter and has dressed himself in ‘yellow stockings’ that are ‘cross gartered’. How has this been interpreted?
• How Olivia reacts to Malvolio’s show and his change in attitude and appearance. What does her response, both physically and in the text, show you about her relationship with Malvolio? She asks Sir Toby to look after him and leaves him as soon as ‘Cesario’ arrives, but is there any sign of her concern in these pictures?
• Any change in Malvolio’s behaviour. As well as his appearance, is his movement any different from earlier in the play? What sign is there that he believes the letter has come from Olivia?
• How the setting of the play affects the staging of this moment. In some productions, like the 2017 production which is set in the Victorian era, Malvolio’s dress is very specific to a time period. Other productions are much more modern. How important is it for the audience to find this moment funny and does the style of the costume have an impact on this? What would you find most amusing?

How would you stage this moment to show the relationship between Malvolio and Olivia? Think about the design and costumes that would best help to create humour but also where and how characters might move and interact to show how differently Malvolio is behaving. How would this compare to the way he behaves in earlier scenes with his mistress?