A multi-cultural, gender diverse cast is announced for this flamboyant and joyous ‘play for our times’, the first full production for the company since the beginning of the pandemic
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Laurie Sansom | Designed by E.M. Parry
Performed by Bailey Brook, Isobel Coward, Shaban Dar, Gemma Dobson, Terri Jade Donovan, Ali Gadema, Claire Hackett, Reuben Johnson, Adam Kashmiry, Joe Morrow, Jo Patmore and EM Williams
The cast has been announced for Northern Broadsides and New Vic Theatre’s world premiere co-production of As You Like It. Drawn from across the worlds of stage, TV and film, including award-winning productions, the 12 fabulous Northern actors include non-binary and disabled performers. The As You Like It cast are Bailey Brook, Isobel Coward, Shaban Dar, Gemma Dobson, Terri Jade Donovan, Ali Gadema, Claire Hackett, Reuben Johnson, Adam Kashmiry, Joe Morrow, Jo Patmore and EM Williams.
This bold, refreshing staging of As You Like It challenges us to imagine a new future. Capturing the sheer joy of live performance and the crazy power of love to change the world, this interpretation emboldens the timeless themes of love, gender, identity and power in Shakespeare’s original. A visual spectacle, the high value production will be radiantly brought to life with an original set and high fashion costumes by E.M. Parry.
Set in a stylish but stifling court, where the Duke is all powerful and brute strength is championed over basic human decency, the high-spirited Rosalind and devoted cousin Celia are no longer welcome. When they escape into the forest in disguise, they bump into the recent object of Rosalind’s affection, Orlando, leading to an elaborate game of fluid identity where all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players.
As the seasons change in this magical place, normal roles dissolve and assumptions are turned on their head in this celebration of the transformative power of love and the natural world, featuring some of Shakespeare’s most vivid characters and memorable poetry.
