As You Like It

By Amir Ali

AS YOU LIKE ITDIRECTOR

• As You Like It has been interpreted by Hollywood and other theatrical performances

• Including the original play, other manuscripts exists to choose from, such as the 2006 HBO production adapted by Kenneth Branagh• For this production, I have chosen to retain the original manuscript, but with some slight modifications:

SCRIPT

• Reduce the homoeroticism between Rosalind and Celia

• Casting of each character will be based on the personality of the character and features described in the play such as their age, body type, and other relevant details. Typecasting will be employed when appropriate.

• Main characters:

1. Duke Senor – is the eldest of the play. The actor that is casted should be elderly or at least not too young that make-up cannot make the necessary adjustments.

CASTING

2. Rosalind – the character should be able to later pass for a young male (more or less). Additionally, Orlando falls in love with Rosalind immediately so the character must also must be a beauty. A difficult duality to accomplish. In the 2006 production of As You Like It, Bryce Howard was casted. I believe a suitable alternative would be Kristen Stewart. She could easily pass for a young male.

3. Orlando de Boys – paired with Rosalind, Orland de Boys is an attractive man who is victorious over the wrestler Charles. Relative to Oliver, Orlando should be casted younger and the brothers should have the same race. The character is well-loved by all and occasionally such a trait can be used to discriminate in casting. Given this information I would cast Adam Brody. My opinion is that the audience will immediately believe that he is well-loved by all and would probably need to bulk up a bit so the match against the wrestler is believable.

CASTING

4. Oliver de Boys – The eldest brother will be played by Michael Shannon. The casting is based on typecasting and personality. Michael Shannon has held many roles where he has portrayed a personality type that seeks to destroy or without reason terrorize someone. He plays the role well and would be casted for the role of Oliver who seeks to take away Orlando’s birth right.

5. Celia – seems like an innocent person who is devoted to her friends. Blake Lively seems suited for the part. She fits the age description and matches ethnicity with Duke Senor, her uncle.

CASTING

• The spine of this play is exile and return• Those exiled into the forest of Ardenne are remedied by

this therapeutic trip and return with balance and sense of rightness to the Court

• Given the spine of the play, realism would be the style used for the play since it would be extremely difficult using naturalism to depict the forest

• Realism would allow for the scenery to be skeletal which would resemble real life, but not be an exact copy

• This style would provide enough directional flexibility to depict the spine without creating the burden of producing an actual copy of real life

SPINE & STYLE

• The set contrasts the differences between the court and the woods

• The contrast of color between the two settings is the major design element that depicts the therapeutic nature of the forest on the characters – an environment that nourishes love for the lovesick

SPINE & STYLE: USE OF DESIGN ELEMENTS

The Court The Forest of Arden

• The directional concept used for the play will be one that revolves around the central image of a hearts

• The play involves multiple love stories and revolves around romantic love

• As You Like It, depicts love as a means to happiness and fulfillment

• In each set and scene there will be an image of a heart. The forest of Ardenne, a location where the lovesick gather and where the god of marriage appears, will have a special heart symbol (similar to the one below).

DIRECTIONAL CONCEPT