Summer 2019 JUNE 7-AUGUST 11 Twelfth Night As You Like It Romeo and Juliet King Charles III A Future History Play by Mike Bartlett King John As You Like It By William Shakespeare Directed by Carolyn Howarth Artistic team Cast Director (in order of appearance) Carolyn Howarth+ Orlando, younger son of Duke Senior, living in exile John Hutton* Scenic Designer Sir Rowland de Boys Seth Dhonau* Stephen C. Jones^ Amiens, a lord, follower of Duke Senior Josh Innerst* Costume Designer Adam, servant in the de Boys household Josh Innerst* Clare Henkel^ Corin, a shepherd Jihad Milhem Lighting Designer Oliver, Orlando’s elder brother Jihad Milhem Katie Gruenhagen Silvius, a shepherd Sean Michael Cummings Sound Designer Celia, daughter of Duke Frederick Shunté Lofton Jason Ducat Jaques, a follower of Duke Senior Leslie O’Carroll* Music Composer Rosalind, daughter of Duke Senior Emily Van Fleet* Sam Misner Audrey, a country girl John Hutton* Fight Choreographer Touchstone, a clown Josh Innerst* Christopher DuVal Sir Oliver Martext, a country vicar Shunté Lofton Choreographer Le Beau, a courtier Leslie O’Carroll* Erika Randall Phebe, a shepherdess Leslie O’Carroll* Casting Director Charles, Duke Frederick’s wrestler Sean Michael Cummings Sylvia Gregory, CSA William, a country youth Seth Dhonau* Dramaturg Duke Frederick, Duke Senior’s Heidi Schmidt usurping brother Hymen John Hutton* Jihad Milhem Voice and Text Coach Julie Foh Stage Manager Kaylyn Kriaski* Assistant Stage Manager Tiffany Lutz* Production sponsors: Savory Cuisines, Blue Mountain Arts, Left Hand Brewing and Martin/Martin Consulting Engineers + Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society ^ Member of United Scenic Artists * Appears courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States #coshakes · @coshakes 23 Plot synopsis Director’s note Shakespeare’s shepherds, or the grass is always greener Duke Senior has been overthrown and When approached to direct As You Like It, my heart definitely swelled a size or two. Shakespeare rarely wrote an original plot. He excelled at adapting (and upgrading) existing stories with added characters, exiled to the Forest of Arden, leaving I have such fondness for the quirky pastiche of characters that run amok in this parallel subplots and more complex psychology. What’s less well known is that Shakespeare often did the same thing with his daughter Rosalind at court with play. Each inhabitant is a delightful little study, full of wise saws or witty bon mots— dramatic form and genre. Love’s Labour’s Lost (as CSF fans may remember from last year) is both an homage to and a sendup her beloved cousin Celia and usurping often both! There is an element of the outrageous about them, yet somehow they of the fad for sonnets. With As You Like It, Shakespeare is adopting (and tweaking) the English pastoral, a popular form of uncle Duke Frederick. Meanwhile, stay grounded in humanity—exhibiting humor and pathos, my favorite combination. escapist literature in vogue in the 1590s. American audiences may not be familiar with the form, but the Elizabethans were Orlando has been woefully mistreated A devoted sister-cousin, a railing Duke, a shepherd-philosopher, a love-sick swain: familiar with the genre’s primary traits, much like we know what to expect when our Netflix queue sorts options by thrillers, by his brother Oliver in the wake of their they each play a part in this world’s stage. And then there’s Rosalind. O, Rosalind! romantic comedies, Westerns, etc. father’s death and is determined to A divine authorial creation—her intellect is keen, her thoughts come lightning fast, break free and find his own way in the she’s funny and brave and oh, so witty. Her journey to find her liberty and her A few key characteristics are helpful here: pastorals idealize and romanticize country life, particularly the imagined lives of world by challenging the infamous (and authentic self—the journey at the heart of this play—paralleled by Orlando’s similar shepherds. Shepherds in pastorals rarely have time for actually tending sheep—they’re far too busy falling in love, writing lethal) wrestler Charles. odyssey—is breathtaking and courageous. poetry and sharing folksy wisdom with visitors from the city. Pastorals are a city form—written by and for city dwellers. To the surprise of the court, Orlando As a self-proclaimed “hopeful romantic,” I’m a sucker for any plot where love is defeats Charles, winning both curative and where reconciliation and forgiveness triumph. The plight of Rosalind It’s escapist fantasy, not realism. As a result, pastorals are loaded Rosalind’s affection and Duke and Orlando, both victims of incredible loss, resonates: they find their true with a sense of nostalgia. Frederick’s animosity. After the match, voices, their true selves when tested. And as a result, they are able to forgive and the Duke banishes Rosalind. Celia subsequently find love. The road to self-discovery, even in a place as magical as Pastorals have fallen out of fashion, but many elements persist in American pop culture. The musical Oklahoma! serves as exiles herself as well. Disguised, they Arden, apparently isn’t easy. I’m reminded of advice from another play, “To thine a solid example—written by native New Yorkers and embraced by New York audiences in the 1940s about “country” life in head for the Forest of Arden along with own self be true.” Or perhaps a more contemporary adage, “Let your freak flag fly.” Oklahoma territory a generation before, it tapped into a deep nostalgia for a simpler time and place. American pastoral (if such the clown Touchstone. Orlando learns Good advice for a happy life, I think. And certainly the folks in this play, Rosalind in a form exists) tends to romanticize the cowboy of the American West more than the shepherd of the English countryside. But his brother intends to kill him and particular, are poster children of this sentiment. while the cowboys get more press, shepherds and their sheep are a significant part of the American West. Colorado is actually likewise flees to Arden. the third highest sheep producing state in the U.S. Shakespeare included a lot of songs in Arden. I’ve been graced with the chance In Arden, Rosalind and her menagerie to collaborate with one of my all-time favorite songwriters, Sam Misner, of the Shakespeare took this largely sentimental genre and added some humor and some depth. In the Forest of Arden, it’s not just establish a household among some Americana folk duo Misner & Smith. We’ve had a ball talking about nerdy stuff the shepherds writing poetry. Nearly everyone does, and it’s often comically bad. Even Phebe tries her hand, violating the shepherds; Orlando joins Duke like the dramaturgy of the songs, antiquated poetry schemes and how certain unwritten rule that shepherdesses are the subject, not author of poetry. Arden is more than a pleasant, country place to hide Senior’s forest court and begins instrumentation can tell a story. Not being a musician myself, it’s been a fascinating out for awhile. It also serves as a mirror, reflecting what each character who arrives there fears, needs or likes of it (hence the writing extravagant poetry dedicated lesson for me. And watching a group of gifted musicians jam and improvise on title). It is flexible enough to accommodate winter cold and wandering lions. to his lost love Rosalind, thought to a particular theme is magical! A song can really get to the heart of what one is be still at court. Rosalind and Celia feeling, and Arden is certainly a place where one can sing freely. So we invite you to sit back, leave your city troubles behind, and escape to Arden. find the poetry and Rosalind decides —Heidi Schmidt to make the most of her disguise My greatest hope is that you will be carried away by the charm of Arden, where (as the boy Ganymede)—she offers truly anything can happen: that you will be reminded to let go of ancient grudges, to cure Orlando of his lovesickness to feel the song in your heart, and to find, as Duke Senior so aptly states, the ROSALIND/GANYMEDE ORLANDO by pretending to be Rosalind. She “good in everything.” teaches Orlando how to woo the “real” —Carolyn Howarth Rosalind and further entertains herself by meddling in local shepherd Silvius’ love for the uninterested Phebe (who marries at the end in turn falls for the attractive young stranger Ganymede). Meanwhile, Touchstone falls in love with a local shepherdess Audrey. Oliver arrives, seeking Orlando, and is nearly killed by wild animals. Instead, he is rescued by his brother. Overcome by remorse, he cedes their father’s estates to Orlando (and brothers falls in love with Celia). Done with GANYMEDE schools ORLANDO on how to woo ROSALIND the disguises, Rosalind/Ganymede cousins promises to resolve the tangled web ROSALIND meddles in the love life of SILVIUS of love triangles and obstacles if SILVIUS is in love with PHEBE everyone will gather the next day, CELIA OLIVER ready for matrimony. As disguises are PHEBE falls in love with GANYMEDE abandoned and a series of weddings ensue, a courtier reveals that Duke Frederick has been converted to marries at the end a religious life, and Duke Senior’s position and property have been restored. —Heidi Schmidt 24 2019 Colorado Shakespeare Festival Photo: CSF’s production of As You Like It, 1995 Costume renderings by Clare Henkel #coshakes · @coshakes 25 Shakespeare’s shepherds, or the grass is always greener Shakespeare rarely wrote an original plot. He excelled at adapting (and upgrading) existing stories with added characters, parallel subplots and more complex psychology.