Polaris Shakespeare Company, Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare and Performance master of fine arts company, will kick off their season with an adventure down the rabbit hole and into the Forest of Arden.
Their Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired As You Like It, directed by Haley Davis MFA ’22, is a 60-minute production of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy designed for educational audiences of all ages that will tour both locally and regionally to schools throughout the academic year.
As You Like It begins with Rosalind’s banishment from court, but rather than a punishment, this banishment becomes a new beginning for Rosalind, her cousin Celia, and their favorite fool, Touchstone, as they escape into the Forest of Arden. In this new, upside-down world, love blossoms, new friendships grow, and family is reunited.
In Polaris Shakespeare’s production of As You Like It, all the world becomes a stage as the actors weave the audience into the world of the play. Duke Frederick’s court is ruled with a controlling hand (and strict color palette) reminiscent of the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland. When our characters escape to the Forest of Arden, they are freed from the rules, social constructs, and class structures of courtly life and discover a world where time moves differently, identity has fluidity, and unlikely relationships abound.
Join Polaris Shakespeare Company for As You Like It at 7:30 p.m. on October 3 and 4 at the outdoor Rose Theatre, located in the garden of Rose Terrace on Mary Baldwin University’s Staunton campus. Admission is free, with pay-what-you-will donations accepted after the performance.
For more information on As You Like It or to bring the show to your school or venue, visit Polaris Shakespeare Company at www.polarisshakespeareco.com or email them at polarisshakespeareco@gmail.com.