'As You Like It' offers love, comedy
Campus Times
November 6, 1998
"All the world's a stage...," but not many recite Shakespeare
on it. The Dailey Theatre will be presenting "As You Like It,"
by William Shakespeare for five performances from Nov. 12-14 and 20-21.
Freshman Obren Milanovic and Alumnus Beaux Enriquez portray two characters
among a cast of 22. First week performances are free if reserved by phone
in advance.
People who look for love and the meaning of life have the opportunity
to join the cast of William Shakespeare's "As You Like It" on
its quest for happiness this month.
The play will be performed at Dailey Theatre on Nov. 12-14, and Nov.
20-21 at 7:30 p.m.
"It is about love, about falling in love, different kinds of love,
love between people of different ages, brotherly love, the love of friendship,"
said Associate Professor of Theater Arts Jane Dibbell, who directed the
play. "It is about the disintegration of the self and the coming together
of the self."
"It is a journey," said LaVelle Wilson, a senior theater major
who plays the character Jaques. "It's everyone's quest for love and
relationship." In the play, several characters leave the court -- the
city or society -- for the forest of Arden -- nature, a more free place.
"There are all these people, the characters, searching for love,
searching for a meaning of life, wanting their life to be better,"
said Dibbell. "[The forest] represents the realization of the search."
According to a press release, one of the key moments is when the melancholy
Jaques calls "fools" into a circle and says "All the world's
a stage and all the men and women are merely players."
The world of "As You Like It," according to a press release,
is the forest of Arden where fools and lovers dance, sing and act out this
lyric comedy of love. Love comes in many shapes and desires -- unrequited,
faithful, wise, capricious, tender and cruel.
Dibbell, who spent the past year teaching and directing at the Athens
campus, chose the play because it is about different kinds of love and involves
interesting roles for women. It also gives students an opportunity to practice
Shakespeare.
"It helps them to develop as actors because they have to do a lot
of work on voice, physical movement and also analyzing the text,"said
Dibbell.
She said it is hard to pin down actual main characters in the play.
However, they certainly include Rosalind, played by senior theater major
Lisa Renee; Celia, played by junior theater major and English minor Jessica
Wotherspoon; Orlando, played by freshman theater major Obren Milanovic;
Jaques, played by Wilson; and Touchstone, played by senior music and theater
performance major Tom Moese, an international student.
"As You Like It" is also designed to make the audience laugh.
"The humor is in the fact that Rosalind dresses as a boy so that
there won't be any trouble being on her own. But as it happens, Orlando
is in the same forest and she decides to play with him as the boy and it
is all this misunderstanding," said Dibbell.
"I hope the audience will have a lot of fun and take home that
sort of playfulness with love," Moese said.
Associate Professor of Music Alan Raines acts as the music director
of the play. Dr. David Flaten, professor and chair of the Theatre Arts Department,
is the scenographer. Costumes were designed by Udit Gratz de Lang, and Elizabeth
Pietrzak is the lighting designer and technical director. The cast and crew
have rehearsed for six weeks.
ULV students, faculty and staff can make reservations at ext. 4386,
and attend at no cost for the first week of performances. Thereafter, a
$5 student fee and $8 general admission fee is required.
