I, Malvolio
Performance and workshop at your school
19, 20, 21 April 2023
(ages 13 – 19 yrs)
I, Malvolio re-imagines Twelfth Night from the point of view of Shakespeare’s pent-up steward. The show is a hilarious and often unsettling rant from a man ‘notoriously wronged’. A story of lost dignity, prudery, practical jokes and bullying, this one-man act of storytelling alchemy draws us deep into the madness of Shakespeare’s classic comedy.
Tim Crouch’s one-man show premiered at the Brighton Festival in 2010, and has since toured pretty much throughout the world. There were 260 performances already and still counting. Written and performed by Tim, designed by Olivier Award-winning Graeme Gilmour, it was co-commissioned by Brighton Festival and Singapore Arts Festival, and supported by Battersea Arts Centre. Quite impressive!
The workshop that follows the performance is tailor-made to suit your particular school audience. Show and workshop go hand in hand and our advice is to book them together.
| Cost | €1,175 (performance + workshop) + 9% BTW + local travel costs |
| Date | Wednesday 19 April – Friday 21 April 2023 |
| Running Time | 2,5 hours: 70 minute show, 20 minute break, 60 minute workshop |
| Venue | At your school or a location you provide |
| Age Range | 13 -19 yrs |
| Audience & Participants | 120 school students for the show, one class for the workshop |
| Language | English (actor is from Brighton, UK) |
| Advanced Preparation | The I,Malvolio performance text is available for preparation in the class prior to the artist visiting your school. It is not in Shakespeare’s language. This is the script and directions for Tim Crouch’s performance and subject to copyright. |
Tim and his show
Tim is a playwright, director, performer and theatre maker based in Brighton, UK. He was an actor before he started to write and he still performs in much of his work. Tim’s plays are characterised by an attention to their audience. There is a devotion to the liveness of theatre and a recognition that the audience are the ultimate collaborators in the creation of meaning at the point of performance. The plays are meticulously scripted but engineered in such a way to ensure that no two performances are identical.
Technical needs: none No lights or props. Some space to stand up. A general cover of light with the house lights on too. Table, chair, costume rail and the means to hang a noose during the performance.
Reviews about the show
“I, Malvolio is incredibly funny, utterly heart-breaking, deeply sophisticated, beguilingly simple, hugely compassionate, completely uncompromising and incredibly intricate. All at the same time.”
More about the Workshop
This workshop looks beneath Shakespeare’s language and helps to remove some of the fear we have of it. It will explore what’s happening under the words. It will look at the characters’ intentions and objectives – the things that are relatable to the modern audience and the modern actor. It will use Malvolio in Twelfth Night to look at how Shakespeare constructs our understanding of character. It will be active, accessible and fun.
What if you’re not studying Twelfth Night in class?
It doesn’t matter! This performance carries its own weight. It will be understood as an unusual take on a Shakespeare play. It will help students reflect on his other works, but also their own lives. With humour and jest, Tim Crouch, will whet the appetite for challenging customs and values, as did Shakespeare in his day. A great comedy or a great farce, true nature, character analysis or twists of fate, it is important for students to see in how many ways they can approach any Shakespeare play.
Watch the Trailer
