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Printer-Friendly ModeAs You Like It challenges cast, aids course studies
April 14, 2008 —
Students are working hard to prepare for SVSU's last major theater production of the semester and school year: the Shakespearian comedy As You Like It.
Professor Steven Erickson directs in what will be his third major Shakespeare production at SVSU. The theater professor directed A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1996 and The Tempest in 2005. Also in his repertoire is the 2007 summer spoof on Shakespeare entitled The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.
"The play is a comedy, and it begins in the Court of Duke Frederick where people either get banished or decide to run into the Forest of Arden where the previous duke has been exiled," Erickson said, describing the plot of As You Like It.
"The play it self is somewhat a look at the difference between courtly life and the more natural life in the forest or in nature," he continued. "The two main characters are Rosalind and Orlando, the latter of which decides to leave due to a rivalry with his elderly brother Oliver. After a wrestling match, Orlando falls in love at first sight with Rosalind."
As the plot progresses, viewers will witness the banishment of many lords and ladies into the forest, these characters' interactions with foresters and shepards and the efforts of the disguised Rosalind, who is accompanied by her cousin Celia, to cure Orlando of lovesickness in a comically contradictory way.
As many of the performers have discovered during the process, Shakespeare requires a new caliber of acting skills and script comprehension.
"It's a language that none of us are familiar with," theater sophomore Caleb Knutson said, who is performing in his 10th SVSU production as Orlando. "It's difficult to find the right inflection and the right emotion behind each word."
"The language is so complex that often times, in the rehearsal process, we spend time not just learning lines, but learning what they mean," Erickson said. "The process takes longer because it isn't the way people normally talk."
"The biggest challenge is trying to translate Shakespeare to the audience. Dr. E. did a good job of casting the right people as some of the more comedic characters, and I think that by the time we do the show, we will all be where we need to be," cast member and theater junior Jennifer Wilk added, describing the casts' efforts to help the audience adapt to the language style.
In addition to providing SVSU and its surrounding communities with theatrical entertainment, this production of As You Like It is also aiding several classes in their studies of Shakespeare.
"In my Shakespeare class, we read the play," English professor Paul Munn said. "As an extra credit option, my students can attend and review the play. They have experience thinking about performance, directing decisions and performance options."
"As in many of Shakespeare's comedies, the threat of death in this one is actually quite pervasive," Munn said. "As You Like It has dark themes, even though it's a festive comedy, and the question is, 'How much does the performance bring out the darker themes, if at all?'"
According to Erickson, "These themes are certainly most evident in the first two acts. We bring them light ... as 'menacing,' but as we move to the Forest of Arden, the more serene and bucolic setting makes them less sinister, especially in light of Oliver's conversion after Orlando saves him from death."
Professor Robert Braddock of the history department and his spring 2008 study abroad group attended the cast's first dress rehearsal. The London-bound group plans to compare SVSU's performance to a Shakespearian play they will attend in England.
"We're here to see how Shakespeare is done in this country, and we might see some student productions over there," Braddock said. "We are going to the reproduction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre where we will have a professional actor talk to us about what it's like to act on that stage."
Knutson described the SVSU cast's progress so far: "Everything is coming together very well. Everyone who is involved is a very seasoned actor who's been with this department for a long time. For a lot of them, it's their last play, so they are taking the education they've received over the last four to five years and doing one of the most difficult plays to do."
As You Like It opens this Friday in the Malcolm Field Theatre for the Performing Arts, with performances next weekend as well.
Performance dates:
Friday & Saturday, April 18 and 19 @ 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 20 @ 3 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, April 25 and 26 @ 8 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 @ 3 p.m.
Ticket Prices: $5 students and senior citizens, $7 general admission