Walk the Plank to Twelfth Night

Watershed Public Theatre presents a pirate-themed Shakespeare comedy

(COLUMBIA, TN) October 14, 2026 – As we sail toward the holiday season, Watershed Public Theatre's latest offering is a shipwrecked romantic comedy from the world of Shakespeare; Twelfth Night premiers in Columbia for a unique run this November.

When the audience meets chic swashbucklers, Olivia and Orisino, they should be instantly recognizable as pirates. But in a play that involves disguise, mistaken identity, and a wacky wardrobe prank, what you see is not always what you get.

Compared to the many past performances Watershed Public Theatre (WPT) has given at Columbia State Community College's Ledbetter Auditorium, the room might not be so recognizable this time. Director Evan Hernandez did not want the standard separation between audience and actors, so the WPT crew will be rethinking and rearranging the space to make everyone a part of the same pirate party. Up close and personal, the audience is IN the play.

That's the hook, now here comes the twist: Twelfth Night is going on a mini multi-venue tour, beginning at Twisted Copper in downtown Columbia. The charming brewery on 5th Street is a fantastic venue for live entertainment, so it's a thrill for Watershed Public Theatre to branch out into a non-traditional theatre space.

With so much thought put into the physical presentation, Evan Hernandez has impressively fit a complex, classic play into his own purpose. His adaptation drifted naturally into a pirate-commanded maritime setting. For example: the drink of choice for many Shakespearean characters was "sack" (wine), but in this Watershed version, they'll be having that delightful sea tonic known as "grog." Rather than a soundtrack of traditional tunes, we'll hear raucous sea shanties. Those songs will be especially raucous when the audience is invited to sing along!

The Twelfth Night cast includes Olivia Black, RJ Comer, Jenna Goldsmith, Reid Gregory, Lindsey Hull, Clare Jones, Dan Kassis, E. Roy Lee, Luke McGuire, Sabrina Norton, Zack Perkins, Austin Jeffrey Smith, Isabel Smith, Shaelyn Taylor, Josie Timmis, Jordan Wilhite, Evan Taylor Williams and Annie Zander.

Bookended by performances at Twisted Copper, Twelfth Night will play on November 3 and November 8 at 7pm. Tickets are $35 and include one complimentary drink with admission. Performances will also be presented November 6 & 7 at 7pm, and November 7 at 2pm at Ledbetter Auditorium; tickets are $25 for general admission, $22 for senior adults and $15 for students/children. WPT is also booking school groups for a weekday performance at 10am on November 6; contact sarah.kennedy@watershedtheatre.org for more details and group reservations.

Watershed Public Theatre continues its pursuit of bringing high quality arts entertainment to Maury County, and these Twelfth Night performances are an example of a classic work presented in an innovative, forward-thinking fashion. Director Evan Hernandez hopes audience will find it rambunctious, cozy, and memorable. For more details or to join WPT’s mailing list, visit watershedpublictheatre.org, email info@watershedtheatre.org, call 615-430-9484 or visit the Facebook page: Facebook.com/WatershedTheatre.


Featured in Watershed Public Theatre’s production of Twelfth Night: (back, left to right) Dan Kassis, RJ Comer, Evan Williams, Zach Perkins, Josie Timmis, Sabrina Norton, Isabel Smith, (front, l to r) Jenna Goldsmith and Clare Jones. Twelfth Night runs Nov. 3 & 8 at Twisted Copper, Nov. 6 & 7 at Ledbetter Auditorium.