Like all good comedies, As You Like It addresses social norms and encourages audiences to question the status quo. In this seemingly light comedy (that most people remember as the “one where she goes to the forest dressed like a guy”) Shakespeare makes his voice heard on the most pressing topics of his day- gender roles, land grabbing, and censorship. Using traditions defined by the Italian Comedy, Shakespeare brings universal truths to light through laughter. Jonathan Swift, Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park fame, and Stephen Colbert clearly took note.

While the entire play is full of terrific food for thought, three characters are shining examples of Shakespeare’s subversive ideas. The court fool Touchstone delivers some of the most glaring social commentary in the play. With his name, which references an actual touchstone- an object that tells us whether or not something is real or fake- Shakespeare sends us the not-so-subtle message to heed the truth that Touchstone speaks. Since the days of the court jester, the clown has played the role of truth-teller. Spreading subversive ideas gets a lot easier when you can shrug these ideas off as a silly joke.  One of Touchstones most enduring lines, “The more pity that fools may not speak wisely what wise men do foolishly” harkens to this point exactly.

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We are about two weeks away from opening night. That means scripts are gone, costumes are being adjusted, lights are being hung, and tickets are being sold! It’s an exciting and busy time for us.

Recently, I was lucky enough to get some photos from Technical Director Charles Raffetto that show the evolution of the set for As You Like It. Students in the afternoon program in technical theatre are working tirelessly to bring the Forest of Arden to life on the Williston stage. I managed to sneak into the costume shop to grab a few pictures of the original creations costume designer Ilene Goldstein has made for the show. Here are a few snapshots of our progress.

It would never occur to me that someone might think I could walk into a rehearsal for As You Like It and know everything there is to know about a scene. But that’s exactly what happened a few weeks back. We were working a joke- one that is particularly complicated. (Without giving too much away it has to do with mustard, pancakes, and the Queen.) We discussed the historical references in the joke, which goes on for about half a page, line by line. At a certain point I asked the group if there were any questions. One student said, with an incredulous look on their face, “Yes…how do you know all that?”

I have lived with Shakespeare all my life. Yet, even still, when I pick up a play I haven’t read in a while much of the meaning eludes me. I am not afraid to admit this.  I actually want people to know how much I don’t know. This might sound odd coming from an educator (aren’t we supposed to know everything?) but I think it’s the key to helping others fall in love with Shakespeare as much as I have. We shy away from Shakespeare because it’s a little scary. We are afraid of being the only person in the room who doesn’t “get it” when in fact, most of us don’t get it. But once we get over the fact that none of us gets it, we can embark on the task of getting it.

In that spirit, I shared with my students exactly how I “know all that:” I spend about two hours with my script before each rehearsal going through the words line by line. I have two versions of the play with me (Norton Critical and Folger), a Shakespeare Glossary, my own research, a pencil, my script, and the internet. Between these tools I can guarantee that I will do my job in understanding what every character is saying. This information passes from me to the actors who then get to put their own spin on things. And that’s exactly what happened after we figured out what the business was with the pancakes and the mustard.

While As You Like It doesn’t open until mid-April, actors, dancers, musicians and designers are already hard at work bringing the play to life. It takes time to tackle Shakespeare’s language, build a set that will transport audiences to the forest of Arden, and to learn music and dances that will bring the spirit of the forest to life. (If you are wondering what dancers and musicians are doing in a Shakespeare play, As You Like It may be the closest thing Shakespeare gets to a musical. Luckily our trusty creative team from Urinetown, music director Joshua Harper and choreographer Debra Vega, are on board! More on that in another post.)

Below you will find a few snapshots of the actors working to bring the play to life through blocking and a sneak peak of the set which is being built as we speak.

It would be naive to think that Shakespeare’s plays, and his comedies in particular, are not challenging for audiences. The language itself is foreign and the humor based on events that happened nearly 500 years ago. Directors are willing to put these difficulties aside because we are drawn to the way Shakespeare understands the human condition, but we  can’t forget for a moment that audiences will never understand the truths Shakespeare illuminates unless actors have a clear vision of the entire world of the play.

In As You Like It, which is admittedly a play about ideas, it is even more critical. What do Touchstone’s jokes even mean? Why is Duke Senior such a nice guy? Why is Corin so bitter? Why is Jaques obsessed with Touchstone? Our actors must know the answers to these questions—amongst a host of others.

Luckily, Shakespeare scholar and UMass professor Dr. Adam Zucker came to illuminate some of these mysteries. His presentation, which was weighted equally with humor and practical advice, gave our actors terrific context in which to place Shakespeare’s play and characters.

Dr. Zucker explained the importance of the pastoral poem to As You Like It, the role of the clown in Shakespeare’s plays, and the subversive politics presented in the play. No presentation on Elizabethan England would be complete without a discussion of patriarchy which, in As You Like It, impacts relationships between brothers as well as between sexes.

After Dr. Zucker’s visit, the cast embarked on starting character work: the time when actors get to sort out who their characters are, what has shaped their vision of the world, and what they want most in life.

Armed with a new context in which to look at their roles, the characters became living, breathing, three-dimensional human beings, not sketches of characters written centuries ago.

Through support from the Williston+ program, which connects the Williston community with professors at the Five Colleges,  we were able to host some of the Pioneer Valley’s most creative theatre minds in our Play Production course last Friday. The class, which focuses on directing for the stage, explores what it means to be a theatre artist and offers students a chance to develop an artistic perspective while examining how that perspective adds to contemporary theatrical practice. Daniel Kramer, Chair of the Smith Theatre Department and Associate Artistic Director of Chester Theatre, Priscilla Kane Hellweg, Executive Artistic Director of Holyoke based Enchanted Circle Theater and Hampshire College professor, and Eric Henry Sanders, playwright and Hampshire college instructor, engaged students in a lively, honest, and passionate conversation on these very topics.

When I set out to gather this group together my hope was that they could bestow terrific practical knowledge about directing to our students.  Mr. Kramer brings years of experience directing award-winning theatre, Ms. Kane Hellweg’s nationally recognized  community-engaged theatre company has been transforming lives for nearly forty years, and Mr. Sanders’ plays have been produced all over the world.  Who better than this group to share the how-to of directing  with my students?

What unfolded was even better than that. The visit evolved from a panel to a robust conversation between students, teacher, and visitors that examined the essence of why we do theatre. It all came down to something very simple- storytelling.  Mr. Kramer spoke of the potential for theatre to create “empathetic imaginations” when actors inhabit characters unlike themselves, Ms. Kane Hellweg discussed how her work creates a permeable boundary between audience and performers that empowers audiences to become actors in their own narrative, Mr. Sanders conveyed the inherent power that storytelling has to change the way we examine our world when we include multiple perspectives. They agreed the keys to finding success in the theatre- and by success we are not talking about how lucrative our work is, but rather how transformative the work is for audiences and artists- is a spirit of giving. Without prompting, these visitors spoke a truth I hold very dear about creating and performing theatre- you must connect, collaborate, and give through the act of storytelling. Without these elements your piece will not touch hearts, change minds, or even entertain.

In reflecting on the panel, my students had a renewed sense of the importance of theatre, but more specifically a more clear picture of why they are so passionate about it. One student said “It is important to keep perspective on the reasons… you do something in order to have clarity in your work.” With that spirit they headed off to lead rehearsals for Theatre Lab, a collection of student-directed one-acts to be performed in February.

While winter is usually a time for curling up with a favorite book and a warm blanket or binge-watching shows on Netflix, the Williston theatre is bustling with energy, excitement, and the sound of power tools and sewing machines. Between rehearsals for  Theatre Lab (our student one-act festival) and our spring production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, each week there are over 50 people working about 25 hours in the theatre.

Needless to say, we don’t get out of the building much this time of year, but it works out fine for us when the temperatures are sub-zero and the sun barely shines. If you happen to find yourself in Scott Hall in the afternoon you are likely to discover a building teeming with small pods of actors, directors, designers, and stage managers working on one of the five one-acts that will make up our Theatre Lab performance.

If you head into the scene shop you will see technicians building walls, ramps, and doorways for the modular Theatre Lab set. Making your way into the very back of the building, you will see a costume shop exploding with fabric and the sound of multiple sewing machines going at once.  If you stumble into the building after dark you will hear the raucous laughter of actors finally getting Shakespeare’s bawdy jokes or (in a more focused moment) actors flipping through the First Folio to get a better sense of Shakespeare’s text, and of course, a stage manager meticulously recording everything.

We are excited to keep you posted on all of these events, not to mention the great things that are happening in classes (even more Shakespeare!) . Check back soon for an in-depth look at our first few rehearsals for As You Like It.

Enlightened.

Burning social commentary.

Universal truths.

These might not be the first words that pop into your head when you hear the word  “comedy” but students in Acting II have a different take on things. For the past three weeks we have been studying comedy. Yes, this is actually a thing and it consist of more than sitting around watching your favorite Saturday Night Live sketches. It is as complex, intricate and challenging as tackling Hamlet (well, maybe not as complex, but definitely as challenging!).  Comedy has rules and traditions. If you follow them you will likely end up with people describing your work as “enlightened” or containing “burning social commentary” that highlight “universal truths” while clutching their stomachs because they are laughing so hard. At least that’s what happened in our class on Wednesday.

Acting II students were charged with crafting original sketches using the foundations of commedia dell’arte as a guide. Commedia was born in Italy during the Renaissance. Its raucous, bawdy, and highly-physical comedy provided the backbone for every comedian who followed. The primary goal of commedia was to challenge the status quo and unearth universal truths about social norms. I was curious to see what social norms our students would tackle and what elements of commedia they would utilize. It would be impossible for me to summarize their work- comedy, in its essence, is of the moment- but I will give you some highlights…

• The American Melting Pot compared to rainbow sprinkles
• Politicians speaking gibberish
• A reference to the famous Red Sox player A-Rod
• A veterinarian providing childbirth advice
• Multiple references to reality television

Through these outlandish situations universal truths about American politics, major league sports, the politics of flying, and the value of family were unearthed.

Beyond creating our own sketches we looked at theatre traditions from the past and present, across the globe and in our backyards, that share connections with commedia. Kabuki Theatre, the Peking Opera, Bread and Puppet Theatre, and the San Fransisco Mime Troupe utilize physicality, stock characters and other traits of  commedia in their work. At the end of class today students concluded that this kind of storytelling is universal and links us as human beings across time and space. Pretty enlightened, indeed.