The University of Akron Theatre Program is presenting "As You Like It" by William Shakespeare at Sandefur Theatre in Guzzetta Hall, 139 Buchtel Ave. on campus. Performances are Oct. 31-Nov. 2 and Nov. 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 3 and 9 at 2 p.m.
UA Theatre Professor James Slowiak, recipient of the 2011 Outstanding Artist in Theatre award from the Akron Area Arts Alliance, has adapted Shakespeare’s comedy for the Sandefur stage.
He will direct two nine-person casts: one all-male and one all-female.
The cast members will be called upon to display exceptional physical and vocal virtuosity by performing a variety of roles and switching between genders, ages and class. The female cast will perform Oct. 31 and Nov. 2 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. The male cast will perform Nov. 1, 7 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.
Tickets for "As You Like It" are $12 general admission; $10 for seniors and UA faculty, staff and alumni; and $6 for students. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.
Audience members who want to see both casts can attend one performance and receive a $2 discount for the second show. Those who come in a Halloween costume for any performance the first weekend will receive a $2 discount.
Seats can be reserved in advance at 330-972-7895 and, if still available, at the Ticket Office in the Guzzetta Hall Atrium that opens one hour before each performance. For more information, visit the UA Theatre Program online.
With its cross-dressing heroine and gender games, "As You Like It" is a witty and provocative comedy that speaks directly to the 21st Century. Rosalind, one of Shakespeare’s most sublime creations, is raised at the court of Duke Frederick with her cousin Celia. Rosalind falls in love with a young man named Orlando, but is banished by the Duke. Celia goes with Rosalind, now disguised as a boy named Ganymede, and Touchstone, the court's fool, to the Forest of Arden. What follows is an elaborate scheme devised by the cross-dressing Rosalind to verify Orlando's supposed passion for her and to further capture his heart.
Media contact: Cyndee Snider, 330-972-5196 or cyndee@uakron.edu.