AS YOU LIKE IT
[By William Shakespeare - Adapted by Jef Hall-Flavin]
THE KENNEDY CENTER
in association with The Shakespeare Theatre
2005
In a collaboration between the Kennedy Center and the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC, I adapted Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It for young audiences. *
The play begins with a facilitator from the theatre giving a workshop on Shakespeare, with the help of six actors. Soon, a large piece of parchment flutters from heaven onto the stage; it's the "seven ages of man" speech. As the workshop leader reads the speech, the backdrop falls, revealing a rack of costumes as the actors join in, "improvising" As You Like It... an hour goes by and they've basically performed the whole thing: using Shakespeare's words.
This adaptation is for ages 10+ and lasts just over an hour. The sacrificial lamb is Touchstone, but the complex love story between Orlando and Rosalind is preserved (with country bumpkins Phebe and Silvius as counterpoint). Sardonic Jaques also remains, as does the nasty feud between the two Dukes. This production proved to me that young people can understand Shakespeare much better than we think.
TEAM
Scenery | James Kronzer
Costumes | Cynthia Thom
Lighting | Colin Bills
Sound | Kevin Hill
Music | Jesse Terrill
Props | Chester Hardison
Direction | Jef Hall-Flavin
CAST
Rosalind/Ganymede | Erika Rose
Celia/Aliena | Jenna Sokolowski
Orlando | Allan Care
Dukes/Jaques/Adam/Corin | James Beaman
Oliver/1st Lord | Daniel Harray
Phebe/LeBeau | Cheryl Resor
Charles/2nd Lord/Silvius | Tony Simione
* Please contact me if you are interested
in producing this adaptation
PHOTO GALLERY
[Carol Pratt]
AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Jef Hall-Flavin. Kennedy Center in association with the Shakespeare Theatre Company, 2005. Photo by Carol Pratt.
AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Jef Hall-Flavin. Kennedy Center in association with the Shakespeare Theatre Company, 2005. Photo by Carol Pratt.
AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Jef Hall-Flavin. Kennedy Center in association with the Shakespeare Theatre Company, 2005. Photo by Carol Pratt.
AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Jef Hall-Flavin. Kennedy Center in association with the Shakespeare Theatre Company, 2005. Photo by Carol Pratt.
WHAT PEOPLE SAID
[THE EXAMINER]
The new kid-friendly version of Shakespeare's romantic comedy, "As You Like It," is so fun-filled and ingenious that you have to ask, "What's not to like?"
Jef Hall-Flavin, associate director of the Shakespeare Theatre, adapted the play, faithfully leaving Shakespeare's poetic language and song lyrics intact.
Gwen Gibson
[WASHINGTON POST]
Hall-Flavin, who serves as editor as well as director, offers a slimmed-down but not dumbed-down encapsulation. The plot and, more significantly, the language are intact from the original.
Much of the success is attributable to Erika Rose's accomplished Rosalind...
Peter Marks