The Call Is Places 2018–2019 SUBSCRIBER NEWSLETTER

As You Like It Feb 9 – March 17 Wurtele Thrust Stage WELCOME

From Artistic Director Joseph Haj SEASON 2018–2019

Frankenstein – Playing with Fire Sept 15 – Oct 27, 2018 Dear Friends, Wurtele Thrust Stage I consider As You Like It one of Shakespeare’s greatest literary feats. His Noises Off cleverness and astute observations of the world are evident as we follow Oct 27 – Dec 16, 2018 this amusing and insightful ensemble of characters from the extravagance McGuire Proscenium Stage of the royal court to the natural world of the forest and, ultimately, back to each other. A Christmas Carol Nov 13 – Dec 29, 2018 Woven throughout the story are themes of family, gender, love and Wurtele Thrust Stage reconciliation that have a timely, familiar ring and remind us why the Bard’s body of work continues to hold a place on our stages and in our The Great Leap hearts. This year, the Guthrie’s Shakespeare Classic turns 20, and it is an Jan 12 – Feb 10, 2019 McGuire Proscenium Stage honor to continue what the Livingston family began two decades ago and share the magic of theater with as many young patrons as possible. As You Like It Feb 9 – March 17, 2019 Performing Shakespeare for today’s audiences is a great feat of its Wurtele Thrust Stage own, and this talented company, under the fearless direction of Lavina Jadhwani, is up for the task. Together, they’ve devoted themselves to Cyrano illuminating the text by bringing its transcendent truths to the surface in a de Bergerac profoundly inclusive way. March 16 – May 5, 2019 McGuire Proscenium Stage As the guises are revealed and the matches are made, I hope you will laugh, be moved and see yourself onstage. Metamorphoses April 13 – May 19, 2019 Wurtele Thrust Stage

Enjoy the show, Guys and Dolls June 22 – Aug 25, 2019 Wurtele Thrust Stage

Floyd’s July 27 – Aug 25, 2019 McGuire Proscenium Stage

Visit guthrietheater.org for additional productions and play descriptions.

2 \ GUTHRIE THEATER PHOTO: JOSEPH HAJ (KERI PICKETT) As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Sponsored by Cast in alphabetical order

TOUCHSTONE Sarah Agnew* ORLANDO Jesse Bhamrah* PHOEBE Sun Mee Chomet* CORIN/HYMEN Christiana Clark* The Guthrie Theater’s production is part DENNIS/LORD Ryan Colbert* of Shakespeare in CHARLES/AMIENS Brandon Dahlquist* American Communities, a LORD/WILLIAM Austen T. Fisher program of the National ADAM/SIR OLIVER MARTEXT Nathaniel Fuller* Endowment for the Arts in partnership with ROSALIND Meghan Kreidler* Arts Midwest. AUDREY Marika Proctor* CELIA Andrea San Miguel* LORD/JACQUES DE BOYS Eric Sharp* The Guthrie gratefully recognizes DUKE FREDERICK/DUKE SENIOR Chris Thorn* Brad Lerman & Rita Conroy as Leading JAQUES Angela Timberman* Producers; Margie & David Dines and Jay Nibbe as Producers; and OLIVER Luis Vega* Audrey & Jim Lucas, Charles & Julie LE BEAU/SILVIUS Max Wojtanowicz* Zelle and Kathy Marsh, in memory of Wayne Marsh, as Associate Producers.

Setting Creative Team The action moves between Oliver’s DIRECTOR Lavina Jadhwani house, Duke Frederick’s court and the Forest of Arden. CHOREOGRAPHER Tanya Birl SCENIC DESIGNER Junghyun Georgia Lee COSTUME DESIGNER Ilona Somogyi Run Time Approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes LIGHTING DESIGNER Sarah Hughey (including intermission) ORIGINAL MUSIC AND SOUND DESIGN Broken Chord DRAMATURG Carla Steen

Understudies RESIDENT VOICE COACH Jill Walmsley Zager Christina Baldwin* (Touchstone/Jaques), FIGHT DIRECTOR Aaron Preusse Christian Bardin* (Phoebe/Audrey), INTIMACY CONSULTANT Lauren Keating Sun Mee Chomet* (Celia), Christiana Clark* MUSIC CONSULTANT Denise Prosek (Rosalind), Lamar Jefferson* (Lord/ Jacques de Boys/Oliver), Damian Leverett STAGE MANAGER Justin Hossle* (Charles/Amiens/Lord/William), ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Jamie J. Kranz* Bill McCallum* (Adam/Sir Oliver ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Kelly M. Galvin Martext/Duke Frederick/Duke Senior), Thomasina Petrus* (Corin/Hymen), NYC CASTING CONSULTANT McCorkle Casting, Ltd. Juan Rivera Lebron* (Orlando/Dennis/ DESIGN ASSISTANTS Polly Bilski (costumes) Lord), Eric Sharp* (Le Beau/Silvius) Ryan Connealy (lighting) Understudies never substitute for performers Reid Rejsa (sound) unless announced prior to the performance. DANCE/FIGHT CAPTAIN Andrea San Miguel*

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association

3 \ GUTHRIE THEATER THE PLAY

“What think you of falling in love?” – Rosalind to Celia in As You Like It

CHARACTERS Duke Frederick, a usurper Celia, his daughter Touchstone, a court fool Le Beau, a courtier attending Duke Frederick Charles, a wrestler in Duke PHOTO: SCENIC DESIGN BY JUNGHYUN GEORGIA LEE Frederick’s employ

Duke Senior, Duke Frederick’s Synopsis brother, an exile living in the Forest of Arden Cousins Rosalind and Celia are virtually inseparable at court. Rosalind is Rosalind, his daughter and the daughter of Duke Senior, who was forced into exile when his dukedom Celia’s cousin was usurped by his brother Frederick, Celia’s father. Rosalind’s sadness Amiens, a lord attending over her difficult position is lightened when she meets Orlando, a young Duke Senior man long mistreated by his brother Oliver, and the attraction is mutual. Jaques, a melancholy traveler attending Duke Senior Soon Rosalind, too, is banished from court by the increasingly paranoid Duke Frederick. With ever-loyal Celia and the irrepressible court jester Oliver, the oldest son of Sir Touchstone for company, Rosalind disguises herself as a boy named Roland de Boys Ganymede and sets off into the Forest of Arden. Jacques de Boys, the middle Orlando also seeks refuge in the pastoral world of the forest and finds son of Sir Roland de Boys a welcoming Duke Senior. When Rosalind encounters Orlando in the Orlando, the youngest son of forest, she befriends him — as Ganymede — and proposes to cure his Sir Roland de Boys lovesickness by pretending to be his Rosalind. Adam, a servant of the de Boys family Meanwhile, love abounds in the forest for several other couples. Touchstone is drawn to the young goatherd Audrey while Silvius and Dennis, a servant of Oliver Phoebe, a pair of shepherds, find their courtship complicated by Phoebe’s scorn and an unexpected result when she meets Ganymede. But before Corin, a shepherd the lovers can live happily ever after, families must reunite and disguises Silvius, a shepherd in love must be discarded. with Phoebe Phoebe, a shepherd scorning Silvius THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE SHOW Audrey, a goatherd • As You Like It is the most musical of Shakespeare’s plays. William, a countryman • Rosalind is among the largest female roles in the Bard’s canon. • It’s set in the here and now with the same great Shakespeare text. Sir Oliver Martext, a vicar • Several roles usually played by men will be played by women. Hymen, a goddess

4 \ GUTHRIE THEATER THE PLAYWRIGHT

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to John and Mary Arden Shakespeare and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in England’s West Country.

Much of the information about him comes from official documents such as wills, legal documents and court records. There are also contemporary references to him and his writing. While much of the biographical information is sketchy and incomplete, for a person of his class and as the son of a town alderman, quite a lot of information is available. After an eight-year gap where died at age 11, but both daughters Young Shakespeare would have Shakespeare’s activity is not known, were married: Susanna to Dr. John attended the Stratford grammar he appeared in London by 1592 Hall and Judith to Thomas Quiney. school, where he would have and quickly began to make a name learned to read and write not for himself as a prolific playwright. Shakespeare died in Stratford in only English, but also Latin and He stayed in London for about 1616 on April 23, which is thought some Greek. In 1582, at age 20 years, becoming increasingly to be his birthday. He is buried 18, Shakespeare married Anne successful in his work as an actor, in the parish church, where his Hathaway, and the couple would writer and shareholder in his acting grave can be seen to this day. His have three children: Susanna company. Retirement took him back known body of work includes at in 1583 and twins Hamnet and to Stratford to lead the life of a least 37 plays, 100 long poems and Judith in 1585. country gentleman. His son Hamnet 154 sonnets.

ABOUT AS YOU LIKE IT As You Like It dates to around play has continued to be one of character additions of the clown 1599–1600 during Shakespeare’s Shakespeare’s most popular works. Touchstone and the melancholic mature period. While it may traveler Jaques. have been performed at court The primary source for the play by 1603, no evidence remains. was a pastoral romance in prose by Our 2019 production is the fifth It was first published in the Thomas Lodge called Rosalynde, time the Guthrie has staged First Folio in 1623, and the or Euphues’ Golden Legacy, which As You Like It: 1966 (Edward first documented performance dates to around 1590. Among the Payson Call, director), 1982 was in 1723 — an adaptation changes Shakespeare made to the (Liviu Ciulei, director), 1994 that left out the clowns! Since story were several name changes, (Garland Wright, director) and the mid-18th century, the including Celia and Orlando, and the 2005 (Joe Dowling, director).

5 \ GUTHRIE THEATER THE DIRECTOR

Lavina Jadhwani

Lavina Jadhwani is a Chicago-based director, adapter and activist making her Guthrie directorial debut. As a second generation immigrant, Jadhwani constantly investigates the question, “What does it mean to be an American?” and through her work, she strives to expand the definition of American to include more minority voices.

Her directing credits include work at Actors Theatre of Louisville, American Conservatory Theater, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Teatro Vista, Writers Theatre and Rasaka Theatre Company, where she served as artistic director for six years. Jadhwani maintains relationships with Silk Road Rising (as an artistic associate), Steppenwolf Theatre (as an artistic engagement associate) and the National New Play Network’s Affiliated Artists Council.

Time Out Chicago named her the Best Next Generation Stage Director in 2013. She received her M.F.A. in directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and she received a B.F.A. in scenic design and M.A. in arts management from Carnegie Mellon University.

6 \ GUTHRIE THEATER PLAY FEATURE All the World’s a Stage

Jaques A melancholy traveler attending Duke Senior

Amiens A lord attending Duke Senior

Duke Senior BROTHERS Exiled to the Forest of Arden

ND BES NS A T FR SI IEN OU D C S DAUGHTER Silvius A shepherd Rosalind Disguises herself as Ganymede

Corin Phoebe A shepherd who helps A shepherd Rosalind and Celia buy their cottage

Jacques de Boys BROTHERS Orlando BROTHERS Middle son of Youngest son of Sir Roland de Boys Sir Roland de Boys

KEY

Relative Servant or companion Adam A servant in the Love interest de Boys household

Tie the knot

7 \ GUTHRIE THEATER See the rest of the players Le Beau A courtier in Duke Frederick’s court

Charles A wrestler in Duke Frederick’s employ

BROTHERS Duke Frederick Usurped his brother’s dukedom

ND BEST NS A FR SI IEN OU D C S DAUGHTER

Celia Disguises herself as Aliena

Touchstone Audrey A clown in Duke A goatherd Frederick’s court

William BROTHERS Oliver A country fellow Oldest son of Sir Roland de Boys

Sir Oliver Martext A vicar solicited to marry Touchstone and Audrey Dennis Hymen A servant to Oliver The goddess of marriage and wedding officiant

PHOTOS: COSTUME SKETCHES BY ILONA SOMOGYI

8 \ GUTHRIE THEATER CULTURAL CONTEXT

Glossary of Terms Brush up on your Elizabethan lingo before the show.

argument topic, subject matter forsworn perjured, falsely sworn misprized despised assayed attempted, tried gentle noble modern commonplace breeding “noble” blood; education greenwood a wood or forest in motley a professional jester, like caparisoned dressed, decked out leaf, usually associated with Touchstone, who would wear outlaws or exiles multicolored clothing clown rustic, country bumpkin to become practical wisdom conceit understanding grow upon me philosophy troublesome; to take liberties skills and faculties of a counterfeit pretend poetical honest chaste poet; worthy of being celebrated entertainment food and lodging; in verse by poets hospitality humorous ill-humored, temperamental simples ingredients envious malicious ill-favoredly ugly skirts border, edges fain gladly, willingly inland bred raised in civilized Wit, whither wilt? “Where are fall a bout or point in wrestling society your senses?”; usually said to feigning imaginative, fictitious; matter good sense, ideas, topics someone who talks too much deceiving world worldly things

Next on the SUGGESTED READING McGuire Proscenium Stage FROM SAINT PAUL PUBLIC LIBRARY

All the World’s a Stage A reading list inspired by As You Like It to help you prep for the play or start your exploration of Shakespeare’s canon.

EXPLORE TITLES

A swashbuckling romance Cyrano de Bergerac March 16 – May 5 by EDMOND ROSTAND For more staff-recommended book lists on a variety of topics, visit www.sppl.org. adapted and directed by JOSEPH HAJ

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