My name is Izzy Sazak, and I’m a member of the Artistic Squad at Delaware Shakespeare.
The Squad is part of the artistic leadership collective at Del Shakes. Together, we’ve been examining our programming and seeing how we can adjust our offerings to better serve a broader reach of our community.
Currently, I am playing Violeta in Del Shakes’ world premiere bilingual musical “Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras,” written by Liz Filios and Tanaquil Márquez, with contributions by Ximena Violante, Robi Hager and Patricio Hidalgo. The production marks the return of our Community Tour, which brings theater to the full spectrum of humanity in Delaware by traveling to non-traditional locations like community centers, adult high schools and libraries.
As I write this, we have just completed our first weekend of performances. The production tours the state through Oct. 23. The majority of performances are free, and the schedule can be found at delshakes.org.
The story of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “Twelfth Night, or What You Will” is reimagined by Filios and Márquez to explore immigration and migrant justice. Violeta and Sebastian, twins from Venezuela, are separated in a shipwreck and must find their way in Illyria, a land somewhat similar to contemporary America in its migration policies. The musical aims to celebrate the stories of Latinx immigrants and ask audiences what more they can do to create more equitable conditions for people seeking a better life on American shores.
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I’ve been honored to be part of the development of this musical from the beginning, starting way back in the spring of 2020.
As someone of Colombian and Turkish heritage now living in the United States, this project has been meaningful to me in many ways.
My grandparents and mother were migrants to this land in the 1960s. I myself am a migrant, having been born and raised in Turkey and having moved to the states in 2007. As a person of mixed heritage who grew up very far from my Colombian family, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to feel closer to them and my Colombian ancestors by sharing this story and singing and acting in Spanish, which is not in fact my mother tongue.
There is a lot imposter syndrome and loss that comes with being mixed, with being first generation or second generation, etc. I know I am not alone in the struggle to find belonging and connection to my ancestors.
This show has been a real gift for me in this regard, one for which I will always be grateful.
We first got to share this story with the community during free concerts over Memorial Day Weekend in Wilmington’s Rodney Square.
It struck me during those presentations in particular that theater and music is not a luxury, but a human right. And that everyone should be able to access high-quality, passionate art for free, in their neighborhoods, on a regular basis.
It was magical to see strangers of individuals, as well as families, walk up to the park and stop to listen to us. I was particularly moved by the children who danced and cheered for us, as well as elders who were waiting for their ride at the bus stop.
Now that we are sharing the full production, I have been tremendously moved and humbled by how audiences are responding – and at my reactions to being able to share the story. I always get choked up during the last song.
Our first performance was at Las Americas ASPIRA Academy, a bilingual charter school in Newark. Once again, the children reminded us of why it is so important that we keep doing what we do. The way they danced and moved so freely with us in the space during the last song was all the evidence we needed that what we offer is deeply meaningful.
Then we took the production to the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington, a longtime partner for Delaware Shakespeare. The relationship with the LACC is one of the reasons Filios pursued a bilingual adaptation of “Twelfth Night.”
Once again I was struck by the audience’s feedback. Maria Matos, the executive director of LACC, told me afterwards that she was particularly struck by the reunion of the twins in the show, which always garners cheers and applause, because she has seen it first hand, in real life. It was a deeply humbling exchange for me to say the least.
We closed our first weekend with a performance at William C. Lewis Dual Language Elementary School. The principal, Dr. Natalie Ortega-Moran, is from Venezuela, and once she found out the plot featured twins from Venezuela she quickly called her cousin and got him to come. He arrived a few minutes late, but quickly got into the performance: chanting along with our protesters, smiling knowingly to some of the Latin songs, and wiping away tears at the end.
As I spoke with Señor Alberto after the show, he was very effusive with his appreciation and praise. He felt that the show was in fact quite universal in its themes, and he was very excited by the bilingual aspect. It was clear to see that he was extremely moved, and spoke to me with tears in his eyes, clearly grateful for the representation and for the message of our show.
I was deeply moved in return and had to offer him a hug before parting ways. He hopes there will be more bilingual productions in the future of Del Shakes.
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While we have a special focus of serving Delaware’s Latinx population with this production, we do hope the whole community comes out to see it as the issue of migrant justice touches us all, and requires everyone’s attention and energy.
At Del Shakes, we aim to explore and celebrate our shared humanity through the lens of Shakespearean works.
Coming together to explore a story that may not be specifically yours but to which I’m sure you can find connection is a powerful way to celebrate what binds us all together. No matter what your background is you are sure to be entertained by the stellar cast. And, the music I must say is absolutely gorgeous!
Izzy Sazak (they/them) is part of the Artistic Squad at Delaware Shakespeare, a company member of Applied Mechanics, and a graduate of the University of the Arts/Pig Iron School MFA program in Devised Performance.
