Why, I have eat none yet.
DUKE SENIOR (polite but cautious)
What would you have?
ORLANDO (still threatening)
I almost die for food; and let me have it.
DUKE SENIOR (graciously gesturing)
Sit down and feed, and welcome to our table.
ORLANDO
Speak you so gently? (humbly on one knee, bows)
Pardon me, I pray you:
I thought that all things had been savage here;
(sincerely and sadly) If ever you have look’d on better days,
If ever from your eyelids wiped a tear
Let gentleness my strong enforcement be:
In the which hope I blush, and hide my sword.
(puts his sword back in sheath)
DUKE SENIOR
True is it that we have seen better days.
ORLANDO
Then but forbear your food a little while,
Whiles, like a doe, I go to find my fawn.
Exit ORLANDO stage right.
DUKE SENIOR (to JAQUES)
Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy:
This wide and universal theatre
Presents more woeful pageants than the scene
Wherein we play in.
JAQUES (pauses)
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players: (walks stage right)
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. (long pause while the men absorb this image)
DUKE SENIOR (realizing the mood has dropped, to AMIENS)
Give us some music; and, good cousin, sing.
ALL (sung as they exit)
Blow, blow, thou winter wind.
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude;
Thy tooth is not so keen,
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath be rude.
Heigh-ho! Sing, heigh-ho! Unto the green holly:
Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly:
Then, heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly.
Heigh-ho!
Exit ALL stage right.
I directed this version of As You Like It with a group of ninth graders in 1999. The play is ideal for beginner actors, as it allows them to enter a romantic new world full of colorful characters and beguiling language.
These stagings do not require elaborate set pieces, and music (played on a boom box in this production) can set the tone quite well. If a cast member can play a classical instrumental snippet live, then so much the better. I am continually impressed with the power of music to set a mood.
Use simple staging to introduce characters and illustrate major plot points. This theatrical device underscores my belief that in order for audiences to “get” Shakespeare, they must first “get” the story. This version of As You Like It uses music and tableaux to bring viewers into the world of the play. Careful blocking is a good tool for illustrating plot and character as well as eliciting emotion from performers. Novice actors often hold back on their responses, not wishing to embarrass themselves. When the body illustrates an extreme emotion it is sometimes easier for the voice and facial expressions to follow suit. Tableaux are an effective rehearsal tool, useful for exploring simple visual statements that illustrate the text, clarify plot points, and illuminate relationships.
In this production of As You Like It, the young actor playing Duke Senior had a strong physical presence and a powerful voice, and he had a knack for emphasizing certain words to achieve maximum effect. Actors should be encouraged to experiment with which words (or syllables) to stress in a speech, since changes in emphasis can elicit varying meanings. This shows players that how the words are spoken greatly affects their meaning and interpretation.
Simple costume and prop choices help actors color their roles. Duke Senior had a cape that he threw over his shoulder dramatically before striding off stage. If an actor has skills or training in dance or other disciplines, try to incorporate them into the play. The best ideas and pieces of stage business often come directly from the actors and their unique talents.
Look for staging patterns that can be repeated to give rhythms to a production, like motifs in a piece of music. As with other aspects of speech and movement, physical distance between characters on stage speaks volumes about their relationship. By combining Shakespeare’s great language with our actors’ minds, bodies, and spirits, we create together a living, breathing work of art on stage.
AS YOU LIKE IT: ACT II, SCENES I AND VII
This excerpt (Act II, Scenes I and VII) is set in a forest, so prerecorded bird whistles provide a nice acoustic scene setting. There are two stools covered in brown wrapping paper to look like stumps, and a few leaves and stones scattered about the stage complete the set dressing. There is something satisfying about a minimalist approach to scenic design. It allows actors and audience to fill in the picture with Shakespeare’s words and their imagination. My experience has been shaped by nineteen years of participation in a student festival; eight schools a day tread the boards at the Folger Library, leaving little time for elaborate scenery.
If your situation differs, and you have the resources and inclination to spend more time on scenic design, this too can be satisfying, especially if there are members of your group who can contribute creatively. I prefer a scaled-down approach, but I acknowledge my own tastes and the uniqueness of my venue. I encourage you to explore every aspect of the spectacle that will enhance your theatrical experience. I do urge directors to continually return to Shakespeare’s rich text as their primary dramatic source.
On the line “sermons in stones,” Duke Senior picks up a stone, puts it to his ear like a seashell, and passes it on to the other group members, who likewise raise it to their ears to listen. The final actor shrugs and places the stone back down on the stage. When Jaques enters, he gives Senior a special forest handshake (of the actor’s invention). On Jaques’s famous “Seven Ages of Man” speech, he puts his hand on each of his three seated comrades’ shoulders during each of his final three phrases: “Sans teeth (first comrade), sans eyes (second comrade), sans taste (third comrade), sans everything (Jaques alone).” These characters are “brothers in exile,” so it is