Production Advice

[Juliet]

Production Advice was listed as one of the things under General Performance, but there wasn't a thread, so I figured I'd start one, mainly because I have some questions of my own. But, hopefully, other people will have questions too...

I'm going to be directing As You Like It next year. It will be a very low (read: nonexistant) budget student production, but I want to make it a good one. I have a very tiny black-box theater. I'm planning to set it in the 60s because the contrast between the court-life and the life in the forest of Arden struck me as a parallel to the 60s. So, picture the court all in business suits, and the foresters in tie-die, fringe, peasant blouses, etc, Jacques smoking weed (I know, I know, but....) I'm going to have to make a few cuts of speeches and scenes for length, but hopefully not too many. Any suggestions for improving/furthering, or any violent disagreements with, this idea would be helpful. Insights into characters and staging would also be welcome. Most of the characters seem to be falling into place.

However, Touchstone is a bit of a problem. I don't know how he should fit into all of this. As he's the wise clown, I feel I shouldn't cut him out, but I'm not sure what to do with him. Insights into his character in general, or in this setting, would be very helpful.

And of course, anything you have to add is welcome.

Thank you so much!!

~Juliet~

[shaxper]

Interesting idea! I think, in this context, Touchstone would HAVE to be a sort of Hunter S. Thompson: intelligent, but unabashedly reckless, foolish, and under the influence of many, many narcotics.

It would help to know what sort of audience this is being targeted towards, as well. Is this a college audience, a more reservec theatre-going audience, etc?

Ganymede will probably have loads of suggestions for you, as well. As You Like It and Twelfth Night are her specialties. I'll give her a swift kick and tell her to get her butt over to this topic

[Ganymede]

Are you in any way interested in cross-gender casting? I know I am! Considering the decade you chose, cross-gender casting could be really interesting, all the "guys" where their long beautiful hair. Hippies are nothing if not androgynous.

About Rosalind and Celia... It might be interesting to go with a male playing Rosalind and a female playing Celia. In the opening scenes, they'd need to look sort of similiar (like a pair of "Juno's swans"), but later Rosalind's transformation sets her far apart from Celia, not simply in gender, but in appearance, as well. This physical separation symbolizes the growing gap between them after they enter Arden. Once there, Celia begins to be replaced by Orlando in Rosalind's affections. Also, Rosalind lets her male disguise run away with her. But this sort of casting might be difficult considering the budget you are on. It requires a male who can do a great job appearing to be female in the early scenes-- not "drag."

About Touchstone, I see him as a sort of bridge between the court world and the forest world. He exists in both realms as the fool. You could either emphasize or underplay his transformation as he enters Arden. Jaques is another great character. I see Touchstone and Jaques as sort of foils for each other. That could be played up as well.

Basically, you could go in any number of directions, but I think choosing the 60s as your backdrop is a good choice. I believe other directors have done that as well. I once acted a scene as Rosalind where the backdrop was the 80s. Very different perspectives!

Good luck, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I love talking about this play!

[Juliet]

Thanks so much, both of you! I'll be sure to keep those things in mind. I'm working with high school students, so I have to do what I can with what is available.

I'll probably have some gender-bending casting, although more out of necessity than anything else. We usually have about five times as many girls as guys audition, so any role that doesn't shout MALE!! MALE!! may be made female. The gender-bending Rosalind idea is great, and I'll keep it in mind in case I ever work with As You Like It again. As things stand, working with a female actress will work best; the male Rosalind idea does, as you said, need a very talented male actor, and I'd think under best possible circumstances, the audience should be kept guessing as long as possible.

Thanks again!

~Juliet~

[shaxper]

Juliet said:

Thanks so much, both of you! I'll be sure to keep those things in mind. I'm working with high school students, so I have to do what I can with what is available.

Then you should definately take advantage of some double-casting. That's how Shaky did it back in the day and, at times, having one actor play two roles can reveal things about both characters. I'm willing to bet that having someone like the wrestler also play Jacques (random example), along with the aid of some good character direction, could enable us to see things about the play in a totally different light. I believe I once heard of a production in which Rosalind's father and uncle were played by the same actor. That would have been something to see!

[actaeon]

It's an interesting idea. The first production I saw of Twelfth Night was set in the 60s, and they wove a lot of period (how odd does it seem to use that term about the a time when I was alive!) music into the production, which worked really well.

Touchstone is accepted at the court, albeit grudglingly, and yet is subversive of its ethos, and remains outside it all. I think Shaxper's idea of Hunter S. Thompson is a sharp one, beause as a journalist he is an observer , and commentator, on the foolishness of the world. I think a media person in general would be good. Or even a musician, a Bob Dylan or Woody Guthrie (I do mean Woody, not Arlo) who is disliked and respected simultaneously by the establishment. I mention Woody because I like to see Touchstone as being more of the Dukes' generation than that of their children.

As regards cross-gender casting, in the late 80s or early 90s a UK-based company called Cheek by Jowl (of blessed memory) did a brilliant all-male production - all the actors playing girls were wonderful, but especially Adrian Lester as Rosalind.

I'm intrigued that Shaxper has 'heard o'f a production where Senio and Frederick were doubled. I've seen this 7 or 8 times, and only once seen these two *not* doubled. I'd thought that it was tradional to do it that way! Don't like doubling normally though - it takes away a part from an actor.

[shaxper]

actaeon said:

I'm intrigued that Shaxper has 'heard o'f a production where Senio and Frederick were doubled. I've seen this 7 or 8 times, and only once seen these two *not* doubled. I'd thought that it was tradional to do it that way! Don't like doubling normally though - it takes away a part from an actor.

Though I've heard much about it, I've yet to see a version of As You Like It that makes any use of double casting outside of bit players. My theatre-going experience mostly consists of New York Productions (though I have never been in town for the Central Park performances!) and one extensive trip to Cambridge and Stratford a few summers back. I have not seen a substantial amount of worthwhile productions outside of that single journey. I intend to return to both Cambridge and Stratford sometime soon (The Cambridge festival was absolutely fantastic!), though my funds are lacking at the moment.


I would agree that double casting for the sake of double casting is unnecessary and potentially damaging to the play. However, each of Shakespeare's original productions made heavy use of double casting and there is at least a small amount of evidence that he used this to his advantage. I still love the idea that Cordelia and the Fool would have been played by the same actor in King Lear, and I saw a production in Cambridge that made excellent use of this. Lear would beat the fool in moments of profound madness and Cordelia would later bear the same limp and bruises. Both characters showed immense selfless love for Lear and were abused for it. I believe Shakespeare intended this similarity, and I'm therefore forced to wonder where else double casting may have been used to add to the overall effect of other Shakespeare plays.

[Juliet]

The fool and Cordelia as one? That's really fascinating...


Anyway, I'm back to say that the production of As You Like It went up, sucessfully, and I thought you might be interested as to how I eventually worked things out. Thanks very much for your help; I ended up using it quite a lot, and being much more adventurous than I'd imagined I could be.To set this in context, I was working with a group of high school students, with a nonexistant budget, so everything was very makeshift. We managed fine, however.

I directed an all-female production of As YOu Like It. I hadn't planned on this, but as I had a total of one guy audition, and didn't want to go out begging for reluctant guys, that's how it turned out. I"m actually very glad it turned out that way. We didn't make a huge issue of this; we explained in the program that there was already so much gender bending in the play that adding another layer (nicely opposite from the all-male in Shakespeare's time) could hardly confuse things more. And, in many respects, it was a very "normal" performance; I think, in general, that the suspension of belief of the audience was enough that they accepted and forgot that the actors were girls, and allowed the story to play out.. So, if there was any gender "message" in our production, I suppose it was that gender doesn't really matter as much as we believe it does, or at least not in the way we suppose it should.

Of course, it should be noted that there was actually one male in the cast. I couldn't find a girl who worked as Charles, and, prompted by a mischevious feminist voice in my head, I cast the only guy as Charles. He was also the main double-cast, as he also played a very winsome Audrey in a very short dress. (A cheap joke, but one that seemed to work well) As for the other double casting, it consisted mainly of the forest characters doubling as lineless sycophants of Duke Frederick in the first half of the play.

It was really a pleasure, I found, to work with an (almost) all female group of high school girls, and that amply made up for the difficulties of creating chemistry between a female Rosalind and female Orlando (although they did get it in the end)

I did keep the 60s theme, and the play moved from a bare black stage with a "Duke Frederick is watching you" sign, through a Beatles-music-playing scene change, where tie-dye banners fell to cover the walls, potted trees were brought in, and, on the back wall, a brightly painted "Make Love Not War" sign descended. Duke Senior's ladies each had their joints to smoke (permitted, by some miracle, by the school officials) and I was lucky enough to have a very talented guitar playing and composing student, who took the lyrics to two of the songs in the play, set them to 60s-sounding music, and played and sang them onstage.

Touchstone was developed mainly by the student who played him, and turned out to be an artsy type in a beret, and this actually worked out well.

So thank you all very much for your assistance! Thanks especially to Ganymede, for your encouragement about cross-gender casting. That thought, buried in my mind, gave me, I think, the courage to take the all-or-nothing leap.

Now that it's over, I'll have time to return to the Tavern more often!

Thanks,
~Juliet~

[shaxper]

Wow! That sounds like it was truly amazing! I have to say, quite honestly, that while every aspect you mentioned impresses me, the one image I can't get past is Audrey

[Juliet]

Thanks, shaxper. I was very happy with it, overall.

Yes, Audrey was...special. Especially as he was one of those aggravating skinny guys who manage to look better in women's clothing then most women can. He flirted outrageously--it was, well, quite something.


~Juliet~

[Ganymede]

I'm so happy we could help you, Juliet! I'm also impressed by your production. I wish I had been able to see it! It really sounds like you captured As You Like It's outrageous (and fun) side.

Thanks for sharing, and it's great to have you back on the board!
Ganymede