Derek Hess ’23 and Haley Wilson ’22, both theatre arts majors from Bridgeport, are part of The Rustic Mechanicals’ “Twelfth Night” which will be brought to Jawbone Park in Buckhannon on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Rustic Mechanicals are the Shakespeare troupe under Clarksburg-based Vintage Theatre Company.

Hess portrays Malvolio, the steward of the Countess Olivia’s House.

“He is a very fun role,” Hess said. “He is a character either audiences grow to love or they grow to pity.

Submitted photos Derek Hess and Haley Wilson, above, who are both West Virginia Wesleyan College theatre arts majors from Bridgeport, are part of The Rustic Mechanicals’ ‘Twelfth Night’ which will be performed at Jawbone Park in Buckhannon on Saturday at 7 p.m.

“At the beginning of the play, you see Malvolio’s sort of dour. As the play goes on, you get to learn more about him, what he wants, why he acts the way he acts,” Hess pointed out.

Wilson, who has a concentration in technical theatre, took a theatre class in high school that introduced her to what would become her future career.

“I very quickly realized I wasn’t an actor,” she said. “I didn’t want to be on stage. That terrified me, but I had skills backstage.”

Wilson is the production manager, ensuring that rehearsals and the tour run smoothly with the help of prop, costume, scenic and front of house teams.

With a summer on the road, Hess and Wilson will get to see much of West Virginia, such as a recent performance in the historic Strand Theater in Moundsville.

“It is making me realize how much I love West Virginia,” she said. “Getting to travel the state and bring the art to these communities is just so cool.”

Hess found his interest in Shakespeare through the apprentice troupe for high school and middle school students.

“Through giving these students an opportunity to learn Shakespeare that they will come to want to do more of which is exactly what happened to me,” he said.

“It’s a very funny, good show,” Hess said. “The play was written at a time when the line of thought was very different than it is today, but it handles the subject matter in a fun way.”

“The Mechanicals are very committed to creating shows that are as close to the conditions that Shakespeare was performed in, which I think is a really neat thing,” Hess noted.

Both Wilson and Hess were contracted for 2020 before COVID-19 shut down live theatre performances and are glad to join in this 2021 season.

“With the pandemic, we all realized very quickly how essential arts are,” Wilson said. “The chance to see live theatre is such a privilege and a gift.

“Coming out and getting to enjoy an evening and watch a show is something that a lot of us took for granted,” she added.

Saturday’s performance in Jawbone Park is free to the public and sponsored by Create Buckhannon.