As you like it

By William Shakespeare

• Presentation by Group 76:

• Justin Tan (Director)

• Manga Sako (Set Design)

• Shelley Perlick (Costume Design)

• Tracey Pham (Lights coordinator)

As You Like It Costume DesignBy: Shelley Perlick

Background Information

• As You Like It was written in 1598-1600 In London, England

• It was published in 1623

• The play itself takes place in the early 16th century France, primarily in the fictional Forest of Arden

• Theme: Love at First Sight (told

through the love story of Orlando

and Rosalind)

• Elizabethan style

Rosalind

• As the daughter of the banished duke, I would have the protagonist wear a fancy velvet court dress

• When she is not as formally, she would wear a more casual dress, almost similar to a nightgown

• While in the disguise of Ganymede, Rosalind should wear men’s clothing such as tall boots, tight riding pants, a coat or vest, and possibly a hat

• Rosalind’s clothing must be easy to change in and out of because of her disguise

Orlando

• As the son of one of the duke’s friends who has lost his inheritance, Orlando would wear a traditional white button down with a high neckline and puffy sleeves

• He would wear a vest over his blouse, tucked into his fitted riding pants and high boots

• Orlando’s costume must be thought of as clothing that would commonly be worn outside during this time period. His costume must be easy to move around in as he spends a lot of time in the Forest of Arden

Celia

• As Rosalind’s cousin and close friend, Celia also serves as a character foil of Rosalind.

• Celia should wear similar clothing to Rosalind. However, her clothing should not be as significant as she does not take on a major part

• It is important to take into account that those who take on major roles in a theatrical production should sport costumes that display their significant role

Jacques

• Fulfilling his reputation as a “free spirit,” I would have Jacques wear a patterned vest with other elaborate clothing to demonstrate his personality

• Jacques is a lord who joins Duke Senior into exile in the Forest of Arden

Touchstone

• As the court clown, the character of Touchstone should wear an outfit that audience members would find humorous, matching his personality

• This would include baggy pants with high socks and a clown-like hat

• To fulfill his character as a “fool,” Touchstone would wear multiple bright colors and patterns that would not all match

Other Costumes

• The costumes for minor characters would consist of traditional Elizabethan attire popular in Shakespearian productions

• Due to the fact that a majority of this play takes place outdoors, it is crucial for the actors and actresses to wear comfortable clothing that is found easy to move around in

• During this time Elizabethan upper-class men and women dressed more for looks

• Elizabethan costumes are usually colorful, embroidered, and very decorated

Other Costumes

• The costumes in Shakespearean time served as a great influence in productions

• Costumes, as well as lighting and sound effects, are of great importance to audience members, serving as an aid in the visual effects of the play

• Those who are not signifying wealth wear clothing made from wool, sheepskin, and possibly linen

• The poor could not wear clothing made of silk or velvet. Due to the fact they could not afford clothing with bright dyes they would usually wear brown

• The minor characters in As You Like It wear Elizabethan costumes as well; however, their costumes would not attract the same amount of attention as the costumes worn by the major characters

Set DesignBy Manga Sako

Set Design

•Stage

•Scenic Environment

•Mood and Style

•Scenery/Period

•Design Concept

Stage

• Proscenium Theatre

-Beneficial to the actors: the characters make frequent entrances and exits throughout the play. A lot of characters come into a scene just to speak a few lines and then exit during the scene so exits need to be smooth and not very disturbing. With this stage space, characters can enter and exit discreetly.

-Beneficial to the audience: the transition between scenes is a more efficient with a proscenium theatre where you have curtains and you can close the curtains in between Acts and possibly Scenes. By being able to close the curtains, it is easier to set up the set without the audience seeing anything

Scenic Environment

• Forest: place of exile. Duke Senior when referring to the Forest of Arden: “Are not these woods more free from peril than the envious court?”

Mood and Style

• This play is a serious play with a clear message even though it is qualified as a Shakespearean Comedy so the mood of the play needs to reflect that

• At the same time, since there is a romantic comedy aspect to the play, this needs to be reflected in the mood in certain courting scenes

• The forest scenes should reinforce the idea of exile and isolation that Duke Senior experiences

Scenic Environment

• A room in a palace:

• A simple plain room with no decorations, just a chair or two. A place where characters interact and have dialogues but no real action happens.

• Open area in the palace court:

• No decorations necessary. Just a big door at the back of the stage to indicate that the scene is outside the palace. This for example is where the wrestling occurs.

Scenery/Period

• 16th Century France

• The Characters are neat and formal

• The play is realistic, no need for special effects

• The settings are everyday settings the audience can identify with

Design Concept

• For the courtyard:

• No decoration is necessary. Just a door at the back to indicate that this is outdoors.

• For the Forest:

• A wallpaper of a forest background is enough for the audience to understand that the scene takes place in the forest. Adding two or three makeshift bushes around the stage that would be easy to remove would also help in the perception of a forest.

• For the open room in the palace:

• Install two chairs in the middle of the room with a painting attached from the fly loft. The two chairs will give the intimacy of a room and the painting will indicate that the scene takes place indoors. Also the painting would be a French painting from the 16 th Century that would indicate that the characters are wealthy and that the scene takes place indoors.

Tracey Pham

Light Design

Key Objectives

• Assist in supporting underlying themes that reflective of both the place and time period.

• Establish the mood and tempo of the play.

• Influence audience perception and overall understanding of the play.

• Foster an environment that reinforces the play’s production concept.

Shapes and Forms

Textured Lighting

• Due to the fact that the majority of the play takes place inside the Forest of Arden, textured lighting could be used to produce the same patterns and effects left by the reflecting shadows of leaves attached to tree branches. As a result, this effect would enhance the dimension of the existing physical set design on-stage.

Focus and Composition

Adjacent Lighting

• In addition to experimenting with different textures and patterns, lighting placed at top, side, and bottom stage angles will produce strong central visuals when used in conjunction with the textured lighting.

Light Positioning

• Use focus-specific lighting to illuminate specific areas of the stage.

(ex: soft-edged spotlights, floodlights)

Mood and Rhythm

Color Schemes

• Adjust the color of lights to signify changes in weather or time of day.

(ex: blue-purple lighting for all of the nighttime scenes taking place in the Forest of Arden)

Sound and Light Collaboration

• While audience should be able to feel the comedic, light-hearted undertones throughout the performance, the lights should be synced with the play’s score to emphasize a character's rising or conflicting emotions in a given scene.

Audience Perception

Selective Illumination

• Direct beams of light at specific actors or major scenes (particularly ones involving conflict) taking place to better retain the audience’s attention and reinforce mood.

Visibility and Light Intensity

• Modify the intensity of light colors at appropriate levels that doesn’t distract or hinder audience’s ability to form thoughtful observations.

Directing synopsis “As you like it is a Pastoral play which usually

contains an outcast of royal standings into the country where one disguises themselves as a farmer or shepherd.

Shakespeare’s purpose was to influence social norms and illustrate the value of nature, compared to the problems of society or civilization.

Shakespeare also introduces themes of romance, the conflicts between the court and country, and corruption in nobility.

I would keep the original script, although modify some of the relationships which are in detail later in the slides

Casting

For Orlando I would cast Leonardo DiCaprio Caprio because he is very good at displaying obsession, and can display humility as shown in titanic

For Oliver I would cast Edward Norton because he is capable of playing a deceitful and jealous brother.

Jennifer Lawrence would play Rosalind because she is a tough actress who can be fragile and enticing.

Casting cont'd.• Michael Caine would

play the role of Adam, the faithful servant because he has experience with that in Batman

• Duke Senior could be played by Sean

Connery

Directorial Concept

• The spine of the play could be, “to find love, and true nobility”.

• I would also take away some of the disguises used by the women who acted like men. The deceit aspect, of their disguise is fine but I would prevent the notion of homosexual relationships in present day time.

• I would emphasize the idea that Exile can bring one peace, and happiness. The idea that one may not know of the wonders outside of his sheltered life, and that one should embrace change through Duke Frederick.

Enviro

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ent

• The setting of the play should have dark features and aspects to the court

• The forest and the cottage that the shepherds and countrymen built should be full of bright devices, such as animals, streams, and a fair civilization to convey freedom, harmony, and justice.

• There should be a significant contrast between the court where Orlando is from and the Duke Senior’s place of refuge, to emphasize the injustice of the nobility, and make it tangible.

• The house or kingdom should be full of menacing soldiers, and the dungeon full of innocent people. This scene will demonstrate his character.

Characters

• Celia should have adopted a shepherd’s living, and Olivier should have gained a humility from his

attachment to Celia and her lifestyle.

• Instead of fleeing, I would have created a situation where Duke Frederick leaves the court willingly to live a fair and just life in the country to avoid the

corruption and evil presence of his son and politics.

Characters extended• To enhance the idea of redemption, and nobility or character

in the common man, I would have directed Olivier to invite Orlando to the throne toward the end of the play.

• Olivier would then remain in the forest with Celia whom he falls in love with. This would be the idea of redemption and illustrate a theme that people can change through experience.

• The clown I would have used to symb0lize happiness and laughter, or lightheartedness. Him leaving would signify that evil and corruption have completely taken over the kingdom when Duke Frederick usurped the throne.