Photo 2 - Orlando (Aric Brown) gets lessons in 'wooing' from Rosalind (Stefanie Seng) who is in a male disguise in a rehearsal for “As You Like It,” playing June 26-July 13 at the Valley Players Theater in Waitsfield. Photo by Wayne Fawbush.
Photo 3 - Silvius (Tye Martin) pleads his love to a disdainful Phoebe (Azalea Hudson) as a curious Celia (Kohl Comtess) and Rosalind (Stefanie Seng) in a rehearsal for “As You Like It,” playing June 26-July 13 at the Valley Players Theater in Waitsfield. Photo by Wayne Fawbush.
The Valley Players will present “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare, Thursdays-Sundays, June 26-July 13, at the Valley Players Theater, 4254 Main Street (Route 100), Waitsfield. Show times are Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m.
“As You Like It” is a romantic comedy set in the Forest of Arden, where characters discover love, identity, and forgiveness. Rosalind (Stefanie Seng, Waterbury), disguised as a boy, flees with her cousin, Celia (Kohl Comtess, Montpelier) and Touchstone, the court jester (Susan Loynd, Fayston) to escape her power-hunger aunt, Duchess Fredericka (Sarah Storjohann, Barre). In the forest, she encounters her love Orlando (Aric Brown, Middlesex), who loves her in return but doesn’t recognize Rosiland in her disguise. The story weaves together comedic misunderstandings, philosophical musings, and a love triangle, culminating in reconciliations, revealed identities, and multiple weddings, celebrating love’s transformative power and the joy of self-discovery.
Other cast members include Paul Cavaliere (Montpelier), as Orlando’s jealous brother, Oliver; Cynthia Seckler (Fayston) as Ada, Orlando’s faithful servant; Lee Chasen (Hinesburg) as Duke Senior, Rosalind’s exiled father; Fred Patchen (Winooski) as Jaques, a melancholy poet who lives in the woods; Bob Carmody (Charlotte) as Corin, a shepherd; Tye Martin (Warren), as Silvius the shepherd and Charles the wrestler; Azalea Hudson (Goshen) as Phoebe, who loves Rosalind in her disguise as a youth; Marci Robinson (Warren) as Audrey, who falls in love with Touchstone; AJ Brooks (Warren) as William, a rival for Audrey’s affections and other characters; and Marie Schmukal (Warren), Mary Scripps (Charlotte), and Sarah McDougal (Warren) as courtiers in exile with the duke, pages, and singers.
This production marks the first time the Valley Players has produced a play by Shakespeare in the organization’s 46-year history. The play will be directed by local playwright and director, Jeanne Beckwith (Roxbury). Tickets are available in advance at theaterengine.com. For more information, go to valleyplayers.com.
