Stephen Crandall and Lisa Easley rehearse a scene from "Twelfth Night" at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Judy Bayley Theatre. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

James Edmondson, resident artist and director with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival since 1972, directs Nevada Conservatory Theatre's production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" beginning tonight.

"Edmonson is one of the best Shakespeare directors in the country," says Robert Brewer, the Conservatory's artistic director. "His vision for the play is absolutely incredible, and I feel great to have him with us."

The Bard's play takes its title from a 15th-century festival thrown on the twelfth day after Christmas, during which life's normal rules were abandoned or inverted.

"(This) is one of Shakespeare's great comedies," says Edmondson, 68, who also has directed and acted with San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre, the Utah Shakespearean Festival and the San Jose Repertory Theatre.

"I did the play maybe 30 years ago," Edmonson says, "and I've wanted to do it again since."

According to Edmonson, "Twelfth Night" is special for being 400 years ahead of its time in its depiction of women.

"Not everyone writing at the same time as (Shakespeare) did had as deep an appreciation for women as he seems to have had," Edmonson says. "(The female characters) are fully developed, and they have great courage and resourcefulness."

It's difficult to contest the Bard's brilliance as a writer. But it's also often difficult to follow his plot lines due to the archaic prose.

"The language is hard at times," Edmonson admits, "there's no doubt. But the fact that the form is difficult doesn't alter the fact that the essence is meaningful. And it's our job to show the human condition regardless of the way it's being presented. If we can do it in a musical, we can still do it with Shakespeare.

"It means that the skill level of the performers has to be pretty developed."

To that end, the production boasts two actors with the Actors' Equity Association -- Michael Tylo as Malvolio and Broadway veteran Alan Coates as Sir Toby Belch.

Tylo has performed extensively on stage, film, and television. He is a founding board member of the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and his TV credits include featured roles on "Murder She Wrote," "Even Stevens," and "Perry Mason."

Coates has performed in Tony Award-winning Broadway productions including "Dracula," "Sherlock Holmes" and "Death."

"We have such a good cast," says Edmonson, who reports an extraordinarily smooth rehearsal process.

"I think we're going to be very successful with this."