By William Shakespeare
Directed by Fontaine Syer

“Full of unspoiled mirth and innocent affection” from The Arden Shakespeare 1904

Gender has a long and complex history in Shakespeare’s plays, a history shaped by
the fact that ALL the roles were played by men in Elizabethan times. So what happened in plays such as As You Like It – when female characters, played by young boys, went off to their adventures disguised as boys, and played love scenes with male characters, also played by boys? And what happens today, when roles that are usually played by males are played by females? Love is what happens – in all its various forms and relationships – as we shall see in this new adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, where the power structure is all dominated by women,  but the lovers aren’t dominated by anyone. The gender of two characters, Phoebe and Oliver, have been reversed, leading to two same-sex couples at the end of the play.

Rosalind, Shakespeare’s most compelling female character, flees political intrigue and a death sentence to escape to the Forest of Arden – where she and her dear cousin, Celia, meet a unusual array of characters, including Rosalind’s own mother, who has been forced into exile by her power-hungry sister. Rosalind also crosses paths again with Orlando, a young man escaping his own evil sister, and what began as a powerful crush on their first meeting begins to grow. Celia, too, falls in love, as do various denizens of Arden, while Shakespeare charts and explores the nature of love in its many different forms. Gender ultimately makes no difference when the heart decides to fall in love.

As You Like It is one of Shakespeare’s most enduring, well-loved comedies.   This adaptation is completely faithful to Shakespeare’s text – if you aren’t too picky about pronouns! It also goes a long way to celebrate Shakespeare’s timeless elasticity, demonstrating joyfully why these 400-year old plays still speak to us today with candor and comedy, relevance and recognition , discovery and delight.