Scenery in Hofstra's Production of TWN

I was really surprised when I was admitted into the theater and saw that the stage seemed to be set up like a scene in the Notebook. It looked very southern. I was expecting a traditional set. Instead, I'm assuming, the play was set around the Civil War in a southern state like Virgina or Georgia. I thought this because of the costumes that were worn and that Sir Toby Belch was wearing a confederate hat . After I got over the initial shock of hearing Shakespeare's play spoken in a southern drawl, it began to make sense to me. I could see the whole Art of Courtly Love thing happening during this time period. Rich southern gentleman wooing proper southern belles and servants causing chaos and all of that. I never would've thought of placing TWN in this time period. It was smart for literary value and entertainment. Watching the actors recite Shakespeare in a southern drawl was very entertaining. It must have been quite challenging.