Explore how Shakespeare’s fabled Forest of Arden is deeply inspired in this Folger Theatre production by the familiar sounds, sights, delights, and vibes of Washington, DC. During the first rehearsal and design presentations for As You Like It, the creative team shared how they are bringing to life the concept envisioned by Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels.
Direction
“What I’m motivated by, first and foremost, is the journey into self,” director Timothy Douglas explains about the transformative possibility of As You Like It. “By disguising themselves as Rosalind and Celia do, they unleash their truer selves. When Rosalind heads into Arden—As You Like It is the original Into the Woods story—she engages with nature, and her truest nature is drawn out by that experience. That is the foundation for embracing Karen Ann’s visionary love letter for DC.”
Set design
For the royal court, set designer Gisela Estrada is covering the stage with a cloth facade whose neoclassical design nods to the columns of federal architecture around DC as well as the familiar scaffolding that covers these same buildings during renovations. The effect is to create a “more divided, colder space.” She also describes this division as representing what people outside of the District may think DC is like.
When the facade drops, however, and the Forest of Arden is revealed, it represents a more communal, colorful, lived-in place, the DC that those of us who live, work, and create here know and love. This verdant Arden evokes neighborhood cookouts, block parties, and everyday DC life, with visual inspiration derived from beloved favorite spaces—such as Malcolm X Park and the many vibrant murals encountered on daily commutes, full of joyful portraiture and calls for social justice. This is Arden and this is DC.
Costumes
Costume designer Celeste Jennings depicts the sartorial choices of the royal court with sharp tailoring, limited patterns, and a bit of bling to signify status and wealth. Think buttoned-up and business casual.
In Arden, she describes a style shift toward “real people rooted in their different personalities, characteristics, and ethnicities” with West African influences in silhouette, color, and pattern. The clothes are bright, individualistic, and fun.
Orlando, one of the play’s main characters, is visually marked as an outsider in the court through his everyday clothes. She notes, “He is our only character at court who wears jeans.”
Lighting, sound, and composition
Lighting designer Minjoo Kim has designed some reveals that the director describes as “quite delicious,” including how Orlando’s love letters to Rosalind are displayed. The lighting helps underscore the uncovering of truths as characters leave the court and enter Arden to find themselves.
Sound designer and lyricist Miki Vale emphasizes the importance of welcoming audience members into this magical world and setting the tone through the new opening song, “We Are Arden.”
“Touchstone welcomes us into this world, and there is a bit of a Late Night with Jimmy Fallon vibe in the opening scene, with the cast in the role of The Roots,” Vale says.
For composer KOKAYI, DC’s musical lineage across genres—Go-Go, punk, R&B, hip hop, jazz, and blues—underpins the world of Shakespeare’s music-filled play. As we move into Arden, that communal DC feel and a sense of freedom become more pronounced.
As You Like It
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