As You Like It

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare, directed by Lisa Warrington.

Shakespeare’s popular pastoral comedy is brought to life in the Basement Theatre of Te Whaea.

Join our cross-dressing heroine Rosalind as she flees the persecutions of her uncle’s court (after falling in love with a young man named Orlando) and heads for the hills, or more correctly, the Forest of Arden, along with her cousin Celia and the court jester Touchstone. Upon their arrival in the forest, they happen upon Orlando and his manservant, who are fleeing the machinations of Orlando’s eldest brother. What follows is an intricate scheme devised by Rosalind to find out the truth of Orlando’s supposed love for her, and to further capture his heart, through the witty and mischievous façade of her male alter-ego Ganymede...

This is our third year actors’ last major ensemble piece before finishing their training at Toi Whakaari. They are supported by third year design students Alex Guillot (Costume Design) and Ivy Urquhart (Set Design) along with Technical, Management and Costume students at all levels of their training. Original music and songs were composed by second year Entertainment Technology student Te Aihe Butler.

This production is directed by Lisa Warrington. Lisa is an associate professor on the University of Otago Theatre Studies programme and has been involved in theatre in New Zealand for many years.

She is a major promoter of the theatre of Aotearoa/New Zealand through her teaching, her writing, her directing, her work on the Theatre Aotearoa database, and through associated work over many years with Playmarket as director and/or dramaturg on many new scripts. She is also a founder and Trust Board member of WoW! Productions, an independent theatre cooperative based in Dunedin.

Shakespeare is an area of special interest for Lisa, as an academic and a practitioner, and we are delighted to have her guidance as director on this project.

This is a fully-realised production.

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