AS YOU LIKE IT Comes to The Frederick Shakespeare Festival
Performances run July 17 - 26, 2025.
Unstrung Harpist Productions has announced its upcoming performances of William Shakespeare's As You Like It, produced in conjunction with the Frederick Shakespeare Festival.
The story follows Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court into the bewitching Forest of Arden. Along with her cousin Celia, they discover shepherds, aristocrats, and country folk. The forest is also full of lovers, including Orlando, a youth recently displaced from the court who pines for Rosalind. Disguised as a shepherd boy, she has Orlando woo her under the guise of “curing” him of his love for Rosalind.
While Unstrung Harpist is newer to the Frederick theatre scene, they're no stranger to the Frederick Shakespeare Festival! Members of the As You Like It team began working with the festival as early as its summer 2019 debut; our artistic director, Evan Crump, first joined the festival to portray the titular character of Hamlet (2022), returning as Orsino in Twelfth Night (2023), and finally bringing in the Unstrung Harpist team to produce the first of Shakespeare's histories presented as part of the Frederick Shakespeare Festival, Richard II (2024). Director Evan Crump noted: “I've always been enamored with this play–it's got so much charm, with its music, fantastical costumes, and a whole lot of heart. We're aiming for a ‘60s folk revival aesthetic–think Sergeant Pepper, puffy sleeves, and crushed velvet. I mean, where else can you find a wrestling match, a ferocious lion, a Greek goddess, and a psychedelic jam band all on one stage? The forest of Arden is a magical place, a perfect setting for young love with a gender-bending twist.”
The Production Team is led by Director and Set Designer Evan Crump, Music Director Gillian Shelly Lawler, Stage Manager Rook Bartlett, and Assistant Stage Manager Rebecca Carroll. The design team also includes Rachel Smith (Costume Designer), Maureen O'Neal (Costume Designer), Sam White (Props Designer), Elle Sullivan (Intimacy Director), and Aaron Angello (Fight Director).
The cast features Maureen O'Neal, Jacob Waeyaert, Kira Simmons, Brian Keith MacDonald, Gillian Shelly Lawler, JC Payne, Melissa Wilson, Joseph Waeyaert, Elle Sullivan, Corey Ahearn, Reiner Prochaska, Erin Cleary, Jake Urtes, and Rebecca Carroll.
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