See WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S AS YOU LIKE IT, A RADICAL RETELLING BY CLIFF CARDINAL at Under the Radar & NYU Skirball

NYU Skirball’s Spring 2024 season will open with the U.S. premiere of Crow’s Theatre’s William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, A Radical Retelling By Cliff Cardinal, presented in partnership with the 2024 Under the Radar Festival, on Friday, January 12 & Saturday, January 13 at NYU Skirball.     
 
Shakespeare's beloved comedy As You Like

It seems like a bizarre choice for inclusion in an experimental theatre festival. That's only the first of many surprises to be found in this U.S. premiere, a fresh interpolation of the Bard's classic story. This timeless tale of mistaken identities, gentle ruses, banishment and forgiveness takes on an entirely new meaning in playwright Cliff Cardinal's radical retelling that the Toronto Star calls "sly, funny and charming." Born on a South Dakota American Indian reservation, Cardinal's Cree and Lakota heritage deeply informs his take on the play, which centers on the relationships between Indigenous communities and colonial settlers, where both sides continue to struggle to be clearly heard. When the curtains rise, you can be certain that it's Shakespeare like you've never seen before and almost certainly never will again.
 
Cliff Cardinal is a polarizing writer and performer known for his black humor and compassionate poeticism. His As You Like It, A Radical Retelling has been performed across Canada and was recently awarded the prestigious Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. Cardinal’s multi-award-winning one-man play Huff is a harrowing yet hilarious show about youth who abuse solvents to the risk of suicide. Huff won numerous awards, including The Edinburgh Fringe Festival Lustrum Award (which recognizes the greatest moments at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and was shortlisted for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, Cliff studied playwriting at The National Theatre School of Canada and is an associate artist at VideoCabaret, where he develops his new work. 
 
Crow’s Theatre, located in Toronto, Canada, ignites passionate and enduring engagement between audiences and artists by creating, producing, and promoting unforgettable theatre that examines and illuminates the pivotal narratives of our times. Founded in 1983, Crow’s Theatre has premiered over 50 new, daring, Canadian works, including the multiple-award-winning production of Brad Fraser’s Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, John Mighton’s A Short History of Night, James O’Reilly’s Time After Time: The Chet Baker Project, and many more. www.crowstheatre.com 
 

NYU SKIRBALL
 

NYU Skirball is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, historically a center of resistance, dissent and free thinking. NYU Skirball’s programing reflects this history and embraces today’s renegade artists and companies, presenting works that aim to engage, provoke and inspire audiences. NYU Skirball is NYC’s home for cutting-edge performance, artistic research, and discourse, holding close to James Baldwin’s dictum that “artists are here to disturb the peace.” The 800-seat theatre provides a home for internationally renowned artists, innovators, and thinkers and presents ground-breaking events ranging from re-inventions of the classics to cutting-edge premieres, in genres ranging from dance, theatre and performance arts to comedy, music and film.

TICKETS
 

“As You Like It” will play Friday, January 12 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, January 13 at 3 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are $46 and can be purchased online, by visiting the box office in person, Tuesday – Saturday from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm, or by calling 212.998.4941. NYU Skirball is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012. www.nyuskirball.org.

Photo credit: Dahlia Katz