Musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” set in Winston-Salem, will feature community members in cast and crew

The School of Drama at UNCSA presents the musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy “As You Like It” by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery, Nov. 9-18. In a first for UNCSA, the production will feature members of several local community groups – including Greater Vision Dance, the Winston-Salem Street School and The Enrichment Center – as part of the cast and crew, and images of murals by local artists as part of its set. The 25 community members, ranging in age from elementary school to retirement, will play a variety of roles in the production, which will be set in modern day Winston-Salem.

Performances are Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 9-11, and Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 16-18, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m. in the Freedman Theatre on the campus at 1533 S. Main St. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for non-UNCSA students with valid ID online or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945.

The production is presented with support from the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Directed by Drama faculty member Andy Paris with musical direction by Jennifer Peacock, the musical adaptation of “As You Like It” was originally commissioned by New York City’s Public Theater and named one of The New York Times’ “Best Shows of 2017" and Critic’s Picks. It is an example of the theater company’s Public Works initiative, which invites community members to “join in the creation of ambitious works of participatory theater,” and “deliberately blurs the line between professional artists and community members, creating theater that is not only for the people, but by and of the people as well.”

Emmy-nominated writer, actor and director Paris teaches devised theater in the School of Drama. Taub, one of the co-adaptors of “As You Like It,” is a former student of his.

“In the School of Drama, we are always looking at industry trends,” Paris said. “We want to give our students skills now, so that they can be ready for the future of American theater. How is the industry changing? Right now, many theatrical institutions have lost their connection to their communities; younger audiences aren’t finding community in their local theaters. People want to be involved. They want to exercise their creativity.”

Paris said he hopes that this production will mark a change toward more inclusion. “It is amazing to have this kind of span of generations in the room. The students seem to be enjoying it.”

Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts Executive Director Kevin Bitterman said, "As we move forward from the isolation created by the pandemic, the Kenan Institute for the Arts is committed to enhancing campus-community connections through the arts as a vital step in building stronger, more resilient communities across the state of North Carolina, and beyond.” 

Featuring an original folk-pop score by Taub, “As You Like It” includes songs including “Still I Will Love,” “The Man I’m Supposed To Be,” and “Will U Be My Bride.” Iconic lines like “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women only players” are set to joyful music in Taub and Woolery’s adaptation.

The plot is familiar: Characters including Rosalind, Celia, Touchstone and Orlando flee Duke Frederick’s kingdom and enter a woodland world where they and other refugees get lost but find out who they are. In the process, they are transformed and healed, and “they learn to become more caring, loving and empathetic humans,” according to Variety.

“We chose contemporary Winston-Salem as the setting to offer it as a microcosm of the society that we live in at large,” Paris said. “The scenic design draws a line between the wealthy business and political world and the world of people who are more connected to the land and each other.”

Scenic designer Nathan Bowden, a fourth-year School of Design and Production student from Orange County, California, researched his setting by exploring Winston-Salem on foot.

“Luckily, I took a watercolor painting class from John Coyne, a scenic design professor. The way I incorporated the city into the set design is I would walk around and make watercolors to create a visual language,” Bowden said. “I developed a unique color palette. The play takes place in the village and the forest, and we found ways to merge the city and the plant life in Winston, the kudzu and the trees giving way to a mishmash of architectural styles.”

Bowden and his crew contacted some local muralists, including Nico Amortegui and Dennis Wells, to get permission to use their images in the set.

“The main thing that came from all this exploring and research is that there are so many different kinds of architecture and building materials in the city,” Bowden said. “The set is a cultural collage of pieces of the city. It’s great being able to look at these various sculptural units and be able to see the city in it. I really fell in love with the variety of styles that are here.”

The show runs 90 minutes with no intermission.

About Andy Paris

Andy Paris has made a career of developing new works for the stage and screen, including HBO’s Emmy-nominated “The Laramie Cycle”; “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials Of Oscar Wilde” by Moises Kaufman; “Or,” by Liz Duffy Adams; Lucie Tiberghien’s “The Quiet Room”; Ripe Time’s “Innocents” directed by Rachel Dickstein; The Talking Band’s “The Necklace”; Matthew Maguire’s “Phaedre”; and Deb Margolin’s “Indelible Flesh.” 

For UNCSA, he directed “All’s Well That Ends Well” and “Inheritance.” Paris wrote and directed “Uncommon Sense,” co-written with Anushka Paris-Carter; “The American Family” at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival; “The Fanmaker’s Inquisition,” co-adapted with Paris-Carter from the novel by Rikki Ducornet; “Goldstar Ohio,” which he directed at The Cleveland Public Theatre; “Migration” at the Experimental Theatre Wing at New York University; Faith Pilger’s “The Stages Of Burning; Going Public,” at Amherst College; “Momentum” at the Western Australia Academy for the Performing Arts; and “The Corporate Carnival,” for The Women’s Project, in which he also performed at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center.

Paris has performed in countless other plays in New York, regionally, and in Europe. Regionally, he has been seen at Denver Center, The Huntington, Playmaker’s Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Rep. Theatre of St. Louis, Hartford Stage, Theatre Virginia, Berkeley Rep and La Jolla Playhouse. His favorite roles include Berowne in “Love’s Labours Lost”; Keppler in Richard Goodwin’s “Two Men Of Florence,” directed by Edward Hall; and all of the male roles in “A Sleeping Country,” by Melanie Marnich, directed by Mark Rucker.

Film and television credits include HBO’s “The Laramie Project” and NBC’s “Law & Order.” He has also been the recipient of three Audie Awards and a Voice Arts Award for his audiobook narrations. Paris is the owner of Voiceworks Audio and currently teaches devised theater at UNCSA.

About Jennifer Peacock

A pianist, educator and music director originally from Indiana, Jennifer Peacock spent four years as a faculty instructor and music director for musical theater on the faculty at Penn State University. She has also served vocal director for Royal Caribbean Cruiselines since 2016. Her credits include musical direction for Joe Iconis’ “Punk Rock Girl” at The Argyle Theatre. She received a B.M.A. from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

About Greater Vision Dance Company

Greater Vision Dance Company (GVDC) is a concert commercial dance-based company focused on both technique and performance. The vision of the organization is to enlighten and expand societal views in all areas of dance. Their mission is to increase the community’s exposure to and appreciation for the performing and visual arts through affordable classes, workshops and performances along with other opportunities.​ The company has participated in conventions and workshops in Winston Salem, Greensboro, Charlotte, Atlanta and Long Beach. GVDC also provides free performances to the Winston-Salem community.

About the Winston-Salem Street School

The Winston-Salem Street School (WSSS) is a private alternative high school serving the at-risk youth of the Greater Winston-Salem area. It is designed to meet the needs of students who struggled in traditional schools due to academic or behavioral obstacles; many of them were expelled or dropped out. The WSSS was created to target these students and offers them the chance to earn a diploma recognized by the state of North Carolina. WSSS focuses on assisting students who are the most at-risk of not graduating from the public-school setting. By doing so, the WSSS plays a critical role in reducing the yearly average of students who drop out of the Forsyth County Schools. Nearly 300 students have graduated from the program with their diplomas in the past 18 years. The school was founded by David Morgan in 2004, who modeled it after the Denver Street School. It is a member of the National Association of Street Schools. WSSS is governed by community leaders through a board of directors.

About the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts

The Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts was established in 1993 to strengthen the arts by initiating and incubating new ideas within the various constituencies and settings of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). By leveraging the extraordinary talents and creative energies of students, faculty, staff and alumni to bring distinction to UNCSA, the Kenan Institute acts as a springboard to the broader creative community. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu/kenan.

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