Just a few blocks away from where he began his college acting classes in 1998, Point Park alumnus Chad Bender is taking the O’Reilly Theater stage for Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of “Twelfth Night,” a comedic play by William Shakespeare.

Running from Jan. 26 – Feb. 26, this production is a “colorful, romantic, funny play… perfect for gloomy winter days,” according to Pittsburgh Public Theater Communication Manager Margie Romero. “Twelfth Night” is directed by Public’s Producing Director Ted Pappas.

When Bender, 36 of Lock Haven, Pa., auditioned for the role of Curio in the spring, he did not expect to have sheet music in his production lines, but he was thrilled to put his piano skills on stage.

“This is the first time I’ve been able to use that talent in a production,” Bender said, explaining that he has been playing the piano since he was 13.

While Shakespeare originally wrote “Twelfth Night” for the Elizabethan Court, Pappas sets his production during pre-World War I, with original jazz music composed by Michael Moricz. On stage, the songs are sung by Feste (Mitchell Jarvis), with Valentine (Andrew Miller) on guitar and Curio (Bender) on piano.

The play follows the story of Viola, a girl who survives a shipwreck, but gets herself into a whole new wave of problems. As she cross dresses in order to serve the Duke, complications arise when her twin brother shows up, looking exactly like her. Meanwhile, the Duke is madly in love with Countess Olivia, and “Viola’s gender disguise leads to an outrageously out-of-whack love triangle among the three,” according to a press release from Pittsburgh Public Theater.

Bender, a former acting major who graduated in 2002, is enthusiastic about being back in Downtown Pittsburgh for “Twelfth Night” and is equally a fan as he is a member of the production.

“I’m excited for the audience to see all of the great actors we have casted in the production,” Bender said. “It is a real life-affirming production. It leaves you happy and curious about life’s possibilities.”

This inspiring sentiment presented in the play was casted into Bender’s own life as well. “Twelfth Night is Bender’s first production after a seven-year break from the theatre. Before this, his last role was with the Pittsburgh Playhouse’s production of “Mother of Courage” in 2009.

“I think reflecting on my time at Point Park inspired me to return to theatre,” Bender said.

Now, as he is performing right in the heart of the Downtown Cultural District, Bender is taken back to his time at the university.

“Point Park was the only acting training I’ve had,” Bender said. “[The faculty and staff] prepared me for this career by teaching me how to audition, how to do my job when I get casted in a production and how to be respectful of the theater.”

Because the show is locally produced, it did not come as a surprise to Bender that he would also be working with another Point Park alum, 35-year-old Phill Madore, assistant stage manager at Pittsburgh Public Theater since December of 2015.

“I’ve worked all over since leaving school,” Madore said. “And every company I’ve worked at, I’ve worked with former Point Park students.

Even during his time as a student from 2001 to 2005, Madore was able to build his career professionally.

“The difference between Point Park and other schools is the amount of hands-on experience you get,” Madore said. “What I loved about it was that I was working with professional designers and directors at the Playhouse. So when I left school, I was actually still working with the same people.”

From on stage to off stage, both Bender and Madore share the same excitement for the show and timeless themes that live through Shakespeare’s play.

“The sets are gorgeous, the costumes are absolutely stunning and the lights are just phenomenal,” Madore said.

Bender explained that “the themes [Shakespeare] wrote about… love, adventure, companionship, the wonder of it all,” are still very relevant to today’s audience.

“It goes beyond just theatrical entertainment because it evokes these feelings of fulfillment and adventure inside us,” Bender said. “Maybe after people leave the show, they will feel differently about their lives, too.”

“Twelfth Night” runs Jan. 26 through Feb. 26 at the O’Reilly Theatre located on Penn. Ave. Point Park students can purchase tickets at a discounted rate by called (412) 316-1600 or visiting ppt.org.