With this weekend’s opening of our 35th Anniversary Season, I’ve been reflecting on why I selected Shakespeare’s As You Like It, directed by Jen Wineman, and Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, directed by Nana Dakin.

My buzzword for our 35th year is Resilience. These particular pieces were chosen because of the resilience of their lead characters, Rosalind and Eurydice, and the peace and freedom that can come from making the choice to release the memories of the past. Our generation is in such a period of mass self-discovery. This spans across our industry and within our own lives. And that’s okay, but we must have the mettle and the support of our neighbors to get to the other side of it.

I am in love with the contrast betwixt the Real World and the Forest of Arden/Underworld in these plays. These wonderlands serve as magical laboratories for self-discovery and expression–lands where the characters can investigate identity and figure out where they want to BE. It’s in these places where the choice to face our truths can lead us to real growth, or our inescapable death. Among other themes, what these plays can teach us–about love and its various stages, unity and disunity, life, and death–is paramount. The remixed adage is appropriate here: love, and the celebration of it, crushes all.

I am extremely looking forward to seeing you at the Playhouse this year to share in welcoming our ASC veterans and new voices to celebrate 35 years–and the 400th anniversary of the First Folio, with all of the base texts for our Shakespeare titles using the First Folio version of the play.

If we don’t see you soon, may your journey to our next encounter be divine. Although, I wouldn’t want to be on the sidelines this year…

Much love and kindest regards,
Carter

2023 is ASC’s 35th Anniversary and we’ve got an incredible artistic year planned. First up, join us in the Forest of Arden this spring–performances of As You Like It will take place at the Blackfriars Playhouse from February 17-May 14. Pair it with tickets to an equally magical offering, Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, opening February 24. Visit our website for a full calendar of events!