AS YOU LIKE IT Set for The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse This January

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse presents AS YOU LIKE IT, January 2-31, 2016, directed by Andrew Houchins. $15 General Admission. Preview on Friday January 1, 2016.

"All the world's a stage . . ." We invite you to join us on another trip into Shakespeare's enchanted woods... where Rosalind disguises herself as a man as Orlando litters the woods with love notes praising her beauty and virtue. Will the two lovers be united? Will Orlando survive the wrestling match? Will you have a great time? Here's a hint: this Winter, there's no better place to warm up than in Shakespeare's woods at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse.

Join the cast and crew members for a lively Question and Answer session on Sunday January 10 after the show!

Cast:

Duke, living in exile Vinnie Mascola

Rosalind, the banished Duke's daughter Dani Herd

Amiens, lord attending the banished Duke Mary Ruth Ralston

Jaques, lord attending on the banished Duke Drew Reeves*

Frederick, the Duke's brother Troy Willis*

Celia, Frederick's daughter Kirstin Calvert

Le Beau, a courtier Nicholas Faircloth

Charles, wrestler to Frederick Vinnie Mascola

Oliver, son to Sir Rowland de Boys Paul Hester*

Jaques de Boys, his younger brother Adam King

Orlando, the youngest brother Jonathan Horne

Adam, Oliver's servant J. Tony Brown*

Dennis, Oliver's servant Becky Cormier Finch

Touchstone, Frederick's court jester Jeffrey Stephenson

Sir Oliver Martex, a vicar Adam King

Corin, a shepherd Troy Willis*

Silvius, a shepherd Nicholas Faircloth

Audrey, a country wench Kristin Storla

William, a country fellow, in love with Audrey Adam King

Phebe, a shepherdess Becky Cormier Finch

Hymen J. Tony Brown*

Orlando Understudy (final weekend) Kevin Roost
Phebe, Dennis Understudy Anna Fontaine

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

Synopsis (from The Pocket Companion to Shakespeare's Plays by J.C. Trewin) - The late sir Rowland de Boys had three sons: Oliver, the eldest, hates the youngest, Orlando, whom he has steadily humiliated. Orlando is matched against the usurping Duke Frederick's deadly wrestler, Charles; the fight, which the youth wins, is watched by Rosalind, the banished Duke's daughter, and her cousin, Frederick's daughter Celia. Orlando and Rosalind fall immediately in love; Frederick, jealous of her popularity, banishes her; and in the disguise of a boy (Ganymede) she leaves with Celia (as Ganymede's sister) and the jester Touchstone, to find her father in the Forest of Arden, where he lives with a company that includes the melancholy courtier, Jaques.

Orlando and his faithful old Adam have also gone to Arden. The travelers arrive severally: Rosalind and Celia overhear the shepherd Silvius declaring his love for Phebe, a scornful shepherdess. Orlando becomes a member of the Duke's court, and hangs on the tree his love poems to Rosalind. When he meets her, unknowing, as Ganymede, she promises to cure him of infatuation "if you would be call me Rosalind, and come every day to my cote to woo me".

Meanwhile Phebe falls in love with "Ganymede," and Touchstone condescends to the country wench, Audrey. Oliver, whom Frederick has summarily banished to find Orlando, arrives in Arden; on hearing how Orlando has rescued his brother from a lioness - and seeing a bloodstained napkin - "Ganymede" faints. Oliver and Celia are now in love. Presently all the couples in Arden are united: Rosalind reveals herself to Orlando; and Oliver and Celia, Touchstone and Audrey, and even Silvius and Phebe, are in harmony. Frederick has decided to retire from the world into contemplation; the banished Duke is restored and Rosalind speaks an epilogue.

Performance days & times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 6:30 PM. 10 AM most Tuesday and Wednesdays. Regular Ticket Prices range from $15 to $40 depending on the day of the show and the preferred seating area. An 8% sales tax is added on top of all purchases made at The Shakespeare Tavern. Discount Ticket Options: $15 for Thursday Previews $20 for Friday Previews (unless otherwise noted);. Student/Educator prices: $5 off per price level per night except in the Balcony on Thursdays. Not valid on Saturday nights. $14 for 10am matinees. $3 off for Military, Seniors, Groups of 10 or more, except in the Balcony on Thursdays. Promotional discount offers are not valid closing weekend of a performance. Purchase Tickets Online for most performances at www.shakespearetavern.com.

The Shakespeare Tavern is handicapped accessible. Please let the box office know if you have any special needs that we should be aware of in order to make your Shakespeare Tavern experience the very best we can. Our handicapped entrance ramp/parking is located directly behind our building. Once you turn onto Renaissance Parkway from Peachtree Street, you will turn right onto Courtland Street. The Tavern's back entrance will be immediately on your right once you clear the building on the corner and the traffic poles. The turn comes up quickly, so please drive slowly. Handicapped parking is directly in front of the ramp, behind our building.

The New American Shakespeare Tavern is located at 499 Peachtree Street, NE, just four blocks south of The Fox Theater and directly across the street from Emory University Hospital Midtown. In the evening, we recommend parking in the Emory University Hospital Midtown Parking Deck located directly across the street from the front doors of The Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street. Regular parking price is $5. DO NOT park on Pine Street or in the empty parking lots on Pine Street. Your car might be booted if you park in these lots.

The Tavern opens one hour and fifteen minutes before the performance for food and beverage service. Chef for a Night provides a British-pub-style menu for dinner. The Tavern has a beer, wine, coffee, tea, and soft drink bar that serves Bass and Guinness on tap.

Seating is done on a "first come, first served" basis within each designated section. Table seating is limited however all seats can accommodate food and beverages. For reservations or more information, call or email The Tavern Box Office at 404.874.5299 or boxoffice@shakespearetavern.com or order tickets on-line at www.shakespearetavern.com.

The Atlanta Shakespeare Company (ASC) at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse is supported in part by the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) through the appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Major support is provided by the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Major support also is provided by the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs and the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund. But, PRIMARILY, ASC is funded through the generous support provided by people just like you through the Shakespeare Club, the Royals and the Exceptions.

The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse is a registered 501 ( C ) 3 non-profit organization and is a member of The Actor's Equity Association, the professional union of actors and stage managers.

Photo by Jeff Watkins/ASC