The Missouri Shakespeare Festival will present “As You Like It” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 26, through Saturday, June 29, in the Bud Walton Theatre at Missouri Southern State University.
One of the Bard’s most popular comedies, the play includes a few of his most famous characters – including the heroine Rosalind and the cynical clown Touchstone – says Dr. Jim Lile, director of the production. Rosalind is banished from her uncle’s court and flees to the Forest of Arden, where she finds love among the others exiled there.
“It’s like Shakespeare on holiday,” says Lile. “The joys are joyful, the humor is humorous and the problems are temporary.”
The production remains rooted in the Renaissance but with some contemporary touches, while the cast includes a few members who have appeared in previous Shakespeare Festival productions.
“It adds a nice sort of spirit – a community feeling – when people like to come back,” says Lile. “Not that the process is any more or less intense than during the academic year, but it has a lighter feel in the summer. People want to get together and do something special, which is nice.”
The cast includes: Nicholas Cortez, Joplin; Chelsie Jeffries, Webb City; Ryan Cortez, Joplin; Dalton Cobb, Neosho; Allison Dodge, Joplin; Taylor Shepard, Chicago, Ill.; Michael Rivera, Joplin; Todd Manley, Carthage; Hulon Smith, Waynesville; Michaela West, Joplin; and Kayley Baumhover, Wichita, Kan.
Tickets are $10. To make a reservation, call 417-625-9393.
