Past Productions

BAM is a theatre group in New York that performs many different shows in it's multitude of venues. The theatre was built in 1861 and has been putting on show ever since. In 2010 they put on a performance of As You Like It. The link below takes you to the event page from their website and provides a quick video of an advertisement for their production.

http://www.bam.org/view.aspx?pid=1672

The following link takes you to a youtube short video of an As You Like It. This video is about the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 2010 production of As You Like It directed by Des McAnuff. It shows their concept of what the play could look like. The second link takes you to the shows page from their actual website.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXuO8sD6B_c

http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/OnStage/productions.aspx?id=6039&prodid=31461

This link takes you to an older picture of the cast of As You Like It from Westminster College from 1922. This gives a great look at what doing this play in the past may have looked like.

http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/WC_PhotoCol&CISOPTR=105

Villanova University's graduate theatre department put on As You Like It in their 2009-2010 production season. The link will take you to pictures from their production.

http://www.villanova.edu/artsci/theatre/productions/pastproductions/0910.htm# 

Music for the Show

For the preshow music there should be some classical and fanciful music. More specifically music that can bring the audience to the feeling of both the court and the pastoral in the play. Classical music provides nice background music for them to talk amongst each other while still providing some mood setting for what they are about to watch.

Below are links to some musical pieces that could be great for preshow music.

This is Brahms Symphony No.3 in F Major

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6sSzFp0qI4&feature=related

This is Holst's song for Saturn from The Planets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb79SiZrzvw

This is a link to Waltz of the Flowers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOzgVldYvps&feature=related

This is Beethoven's 6th Symphony

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMJPZ-mu-Ts

Space and Set



The look of the wood floor for the court

This production of As You Like It will be performed in the Milo Smith Tower Theatre to allow a more imaginative set and a closer audience/play experience. The seats will be arranged in a thrust style seating. Shakespeare's plays are open to lots of interpretation when it comes to the set. The court and the Forest of Arden will be two very different feels and therefore two very different places.

The court should be darker with harsher lighting. The floor will be a wood floor piece that can be moved on and off stage easily. The wood should be a dark and shiny, expensive looking floor. The set pieces should be able to be carried on and off easily by the cast or "servants" in the court. For example a bench for scenes with Celia and Rosalind, and a wrestling area for the wrestling scene. Each new place for the scenes should have a specific piece of furniture that can be related to that scene.



The feel/look of the Forest of Arden



Once the scenes change to the Forest of Arden the wood floor piece will come off and a new floor piece will come on. The piece should have a wooden or dirt walkway that continues from back to front. The parts that have no walkway will have grass and trees, creating a "forest" inside of the theatre. The walkways should be a lighter brown color and look dirty and worn. Posisibly even instead of a wooden path a dirt trail.

The following link brings you to a website that can help get the wood finish for the court floor that is what we are looking for without the expense of buying that wood. There is a video that shows how to get the finished product look we want by painting. This would be a cost effective way of getting the look we want but for less.

http://www.fauxfinishhowto.com/Faux_Wood_Painting.html

Costumes in the Pastoral

The pastoral is very different than the court. So the costumes will reflect that. Dictionary.com's definition of pastoral is, "having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characteristics generally attributed to rural areas: pastoral scenery; the pastoral life" (dictionary.com, pastoral). This is a great definition to think about when thinking of the costumes for this part of the play. The women's costumes will be much more relaxed than that of the court. The colors will be browns and lighter, brighter colors. There should be lots of pinks, oranges, yellows and browns. Rosalind in the pastoral is dressed up as a man because she is in hiding. So she will need to be in pants, a shirt and a hat. Her pants will be khaki and look slightly dirty with an off white shirt with a burnt orange vest. The hat should be large enough to cover the actress’s hair without dominating her. Celia should be in brown skirt with either gladiator sandals or boots, paired with a light pink shirt. The costumes should have a somewhat country and modern hippie look and feel. The costume should provide the actress with the ability to move freely and whatever way she feels. This should provide a great contrast to the feel of the court.

The men overall in the pastoral should have similar costumes to that of Rosalind's with some slight differences and color changes. The females over all should have similar costumes to Celia. The only difference is that some will be in dresses and colors within the same color scheme. Orlando and Oliver will also wear the "country" attire in this place. Duke Senior will be in similar dress. Since the pastoral is a world that is freer than the court he should not stand out as too much different than others.

At the end of the play there is the wedding scene. Rosalind and Celia's wedding attire should be summer dresses that still fit the mood, setting and color scheme of the pastoral. The character Hymen enters at the end to marry the couples. Since he is the God of marriage it would be nice to give hints of this god-like quality by placing him in a white flowing shirt. However, it should not be so different from the others that he seems out of place.

Sources Cited:

Pastoral; dictionary.com editors; dictionary.com; http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pastoral

Costumes for the Court

Since As You Like It has two very different settings, city and pastoral, the costumes will reflect the differences between the two settings.

In the city or court the costumes will be very structured and harsh. The garments will be in darker colors. Deep greens and blues with some black accents. They will be very regal, fancy and upper-class.

The women of the court will wear corsets; most specifically for Rosalind and Celia. This will show the harsh, strict structure of the court. By having costumes that are cumbersome and restricting it will allow for a physical restriction of the actresses. Especially when later they go into the pastoral.

The men will wear the same time period court attire. The Duke's would be much greater and regal looking than that of the other men in the court. His clothes will hold a similar quality and look that Celia and Rosalind's costumes hold. Celia and the Duke should be in blue and Rosalind in a green. Celia and Rosalind's dresses should hold similar qualities that tie them together. But the blue ties Celia and the Duke together as father and daughter.

Orlando, Oliver and Le Beau would have similar costumes but would be much less elegant than that of the Duke Frederick’s. Also Orlando's clothes would be much poorer looking than that of Oliver's. His would be more dirty and slightly tattered since Oliver treats him poorly. 

For the wrestling scene Orlando and Charles would be in the same costumes but without their jackets. It would just be the basics of their clothing.

The servants of Oliver and the Duke would wear basic clothes. Nothing too terribly fancy but still done up just enough to show the fact that they work for someone who is better off.

Touchstone, the clown, would be in a more fanticiful outfit. His clothing would be different than that of the others in the court. However, he would still stick to the same color scheme.

The following link is to a video about how to put on a corset. This can help show the dressers and the women wearing corsets how to put one on.
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-wear-a-corset

"And All the Men and Women Meerly Players..."

Touchstone:

Touchstone is the jester, or clown, of the play. "Touchstone of As You Like It is probably the clown who has had most attention from critics" (Videbaek, pg 84). Because Touchstone is not the "typical" clown he has been looked at somewhat more than others. Touchstone is an integral part of the play. He comes in with the main character at the beginning in the court and then travels with Rosalind and Celia to the Forest of Arden. Once in the forest it is almost like he has his own subplot. The audience gets to see Touchstone's wit with a shepherd and then trying to woo a shepherdess. "But first and foremost he is a brilliant stage clown, and his duty as such is in serving the interests of the audience" (Videbaek, pg 86). Touchstone's character provides the perfect amount of entertainment in this play. He is a brilliant part.

Dukes (Frederick and Senior):

The two Dukes are interesting characters. At the beginning of the play you find out that Duke Senior has been banished to the Forest of Arden by his brother Duke Frederick. Duke Frederick is Celia's father and Duke Senior is Rosalind's father. Even though Duke Senior was banished Rosalind was allowed to live in the court still with Celia. However, Duke Frederick's anger causes him to still banish those who were true to Duke Senior. Thus, is Orlando and Rosalind banished as well. In the forest you get to see Duke Senior as a loving man who treats his subjects well. He takes in Orlando and Adam and shares his food with them. In the end Duke Senior does gain his power back and Duke Frederick ends up a better man.

Celia:

 In the court Celia is more out spoken than Rosalind is. She seems to be the one who takes control in the court. However, once the play moves to the forest Celia becomes mainly an observer to Rosalind and her antics with Orlando. She usually on speaks when it is just her a Rosalind. Other than that she does not really speak. She plays a very great contrast to that of Rosalind's character.

Jaques:

Jaques is one of the men that stay with Duke Senior in exile in the forest. He is a broody type of character that finds much joy and entertainment in Touchstone. His character also has many talks with Orlando. The one thing Jaques is most known for though is his speech about the life of a person. He relates the life of a man to that of a "player" on stage. "In his description of the seven ages, Jaques provides us with a series of little character sketches, all self-contained, each stage apparently deriving nothing from the age before" (Greer, pg 52). His character's views on the world are on the sad side of the spectrum, yet with his monologue he hits home with the audience about life and creates a memorable experience.

Sources Cited:

The Stage Clown in Shakespeare's Theatre; Bente A. Videbaek; Greenwood Press; Westport; 1996

Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction; Germaine Greer; Oxford University Press; New York; 2002

Rosalind



Edmonds Community College's Rosalind and Orlando



The character of Rosalind in As You Like It is the second biggest part in Shakespearean plays next to Hamlet and is the largest female role in all of Shakespeare's work. Rosalind in the court and in the pastoral are two very different characters. In the court Rosalind acts very much like a woman "should act" in a court. She speaks less than Celia and really only speaks when Celia and her are alone. She behaves in the way women were expected to.

Once in the pastoral Rosalind's character is dressed as a man and so speaks and acts as one. This allows her to have conversations that a woman of the time would not have. She speaks freely with all of the different characters but most specifically with Orlando, her love interest.

Rosalind's character deals with a multitude of changes throughout the show. Not only does she have to stay in hiding but she also is trying to pursue her love, Orlando, while avoiding a young girl, Phebe from pursuing her. By the end of the show Rosalind's growth is wonderful and different from many female characters of the time. She becomes a self-assured woman who still gets the guy in the end.



Rosalind giving the epilogue. (EdCC Theatre)

 Rosalind is one of the first female characters that women can look up to and be proud to play. Rosalind also ends the play by speaking the epilogue. This again is not common for the time it was written or even for years to come. Rosalind truly depicts a wonderful female character.

The following link goes to an article about an actress’s portrayal of Rosalind in 1842. This provides and interesting look at how audiences may have received this character in the past. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.lib.cwu.edu/ehost/detail?hid=106&sid=2e29ef52-68c9-437f-9f1b-f1d32a118308%40sessionmgr111&vid=3&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=7165865

Sources Cited:

Pictures from Edmonds Community College Theatre Arts Department's As You Like It, Spring 2009

Court vs Pastoral

In As You Like It Shakespeare uses two completely different settings to help move not only the play along but develop characters. The first part of the play all takes place in the court of Duke Frederick and the second part of the play takes place in the Forest of Arden where Duke Senior lives in banishment. In the court scenes everything is very strict and hash. The words exchanged between families are filled with anger. The opening scene is Orlando trying to escape his brother and a small fight ensues. Then you have the wrestling match and finally Duke Frederick's banishment of Rosalind. The Duke is a cruel figure in this part of the play and his court matches it.

In History of the Theatre Brockett states that, "...pastoral comedies that mingle classical mythology with English subjects" (Brockett, 108). I feel that this really plays well into what As You Like It is. In the pastoral anything can happen. The Forest of Arden is a freer place where Rosalind can speak her mind and fall in love. In fact, many couples fall in love here: Rosalind and Orlando, Celia and Oliver, Audrey and Touchstone, and Phebe and Silvius. There is a wedding at the end of the play, where, Hymen, the god of marriage shows up to wed the couples. Plus at the end of the play the third brother of Oliver and Orlando, Jaques shows up and states, "Duke Frederick, hearing how that every day men of great worth resorted to this forest, addressed a might power, which were on foot in his own conduct, purposely to take his brother here and put him to the sword; and to the skirts of this wild wood he came, where, meeting a religious man, after some question with him, was converted both from his enterprise and from the world, his crown bequeathing to hiss banished brother, and all their lands restored to them again that were with him exiled" (Shakespeare, pg 102). This makes the pastoral seem like it has some sort of magical power that just brings the good out in people. Both Duke Frederick and Oliver who were bad in the court become good in the pastoral.

There is also a feel that time is frozen in the court; that it never moves. It is stale and kept the same. Whereas in the pastoral time is limitless and can move about freely and openly. The feel and state of these two "worlds" helps create a wonderful and whimsical play.

Sources Cited:

A You Like It; William Shakespeare, editied by Albert Gilman; Signet Classics; New York; 1998

History of Theatre: Foundation Edition; Oscar G. Brockett and Franklin J. Hildy; Pearson Education Inc.; Boston, MA; 2007s

Shakespeare: An Oldie but a Goodie

Shakespeare started writing his plays in the late 1580's and continued writing until 1614 when he wrote Knight's Tale, The Two Noble Kinsmen (ORO, William Shakespeare). Ever since his time Shakespeare's plays have been performed almost every year since. Over the course of time Shakespeare's work has provided a spring board to creative freedom for crew designers everywhere. These plays have the ability to be performed in any time period and any setting. The costumes, sets, and props can either be as realistic or as fantastical as possible. The plays leave room for a lot of creativity, which is a huge reason why they get used so often.

Many movies, musicals, books, and plays have been based off of Shakespeare's plays. Musicals such as, The Boys of Syracuse based on The Comedy of Errors, Play On! which was an adaptation of Twelfth Night, and even West Side Story which is based off of Romeo and Juliet. In fact a lot of stories are based off of Romeo and Juliet. Even the film industry has moved into making Shakespearean films. Many versions can be seen today. (Shaughnessy, pg 150-156).

Overall, Shakespeare continues to this day to shape our society and help us bring about more entertainment for everyone across the globe.

Sources Cited:

"Shakespeare, William"  The Oxford Companion to Theatre and Performance. Edited by Dennis Kennedy. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Central Washington University.  11 March 2011  http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t315.e3605

The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare and Popular Culture; edited by Robert Shaughnessy; Cambridge University Press; United Kingdom; 2007

"All the world's a stage..."

Long view of London, 1647, by Wenceslaus Hollar

William Shakespeare is arguably one of the most, if not the most influential and recognizable playwrights in all history. He has numerous amounts of writings including loads of sonnets and plays. His plays have been continuously performed since his time even to this day.

"The birthday of William Shakespeare, the third child and the eldest son of this locally prominent man, is unrecorded, but the Stratford parish register records that the infant was baptized on 26 April 1564" (Gilman, vii-viii). While his original birth date is not known many dub his birth date to be on 23 April 1564 due to his death on that date many years later or because it was a feast day and celebration in England. Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616.

Title-page of the First Folio, with portrait of Shakespear engraved by Martin Droeshout

One of Shakespeare's most well know quotes is, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.."(Gilman, pg 43). This quote comes from the play As You Like It by William Shakespeare. As You Like It, "develops many of the traditional features and concerns of the pastoral genre. This comedy examines the cruelties and corruption of court life and gleefully pokes holes in one of humankind’s greatest artifices: the conventions of romantic love" (Sparknotes, context). The play's main character is a young woman named, Rosalind. In the court she "falls in love" with a young man named Orlando. Shortly after Rosalind gets banished from the court. So Rosalind and her cousin Celia go off into hiding in the country, the pastoral, where Rosalind dresses as a man. While dressed as a man she runs into her love, Orlando again and thus starts a crazy road to a happy ending. There are crazy antics, hilarious characters, and even a wedding! The show is upbeat, comical and fun for all!

Sources Cited:

As You Like It; William Shakespeare, editied by Albert Gilman; Signet Classics; New York; 1998

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on As You Like It.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/asyoulikeit/context.html

Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction; Germaine Greer; Oxford University Press; New York; 2002