Delaware Shakespeare to premiere bilingual production in Wilmington

WILMINGTON, Del. (WPVI) -- The Delaware Shakespeare company will present its first ever musical production, Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras, in its upcoming Summer Festival. It is also bilingual.

The production will run from Thursday, July 17 until Sunday, August 3, 2025, at Rockwood Park in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Delaware Shakespeare company originally began as a group of thespian friends wanting to perform Shakespeare in the summer. It has since developed into a professional theater company and entering its 23rd season.

Composer of Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras, Liz Filios, pitched the idea for a Shakespearean musical in 2019.

"Immigration reform was really at the forefront of my mind," Filios said. "Family separation was in the news a lot and weighing on my heart a lot, and this is a story about a family that is separated, and the way that they are reunited in this strange, new country."

Inspired by this passion, Filios began writing. There was one week in which she composed three entire songs.

After hours of writing, re-writing, and composing, the show was ready for the 2022 community tour.

"It's been exhausting and thrilling and such a gift," Filios said.

Now, in 2025, this bilingual musical adaptation will make its return.

The show's writer and adapter, Tanaquil Márquez, considers music as a third type of language used throughout the production.

"When you do bilingual work, it's bridging cultures and languages together," Márquez said. "I'm just really excited to see that bridge in the audience as well with Spanish speakers and non-Spanish speakers.

Whether audience members speak Spanish or not, the production team encourages everyone to come enjoy in the story.

"You might not understand every single word that's being said, but neither do the characters," Filios said. "It puts you into the experience of the play."

Delaware Shakespeare also utilizes its unique outdoor staging to further amplify the audience experience.

"We tend to work with the sun as the light designer for the first half of the show, as we say," Mariah Ghant, Producing Artistic Director, said. "Then, the second half of the show, once it's fully dark outside, you get big, bright striking lights as well."

The cast and crew are ready to light up the stage with the totality of the performance.

"I'm ready for people to come and be in community, laugh along together, cry together, see the show, and really enjoy the music," Ghant said.

Wednesday performance days are Pay What You Will, and Sundays are Family Night. The company will also run its $12 for 12 Campaign, in which it will aim to raise $12 donations from 1,000 people.

It hopes to raise a total of $12,000, in honor of Twelfth Night, by the conclusion of the Summer Festival.