

RCP's Shakespeare Players will present As You Like It at the Highland Park Bowl July 5 to 19, 2008. Admission is free and donations will be accepted at the Bowl. The
production is directed by John Jaeger and is co-sponsored by the Monroe
County Parks Department. Ten performances are scheduled on the following nights:
Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6 Tuesday, July 8 and Wednesday, July 9 Friday, July 11 and Sunday, July 13 Tuesday, July 15 and Wednesday, July 16 Friday, July 18* and Saturday, July 19
*Note: the performance Friday July 18 will be interpreted for the deaf
All performances will start at 8:00 PM. The Highland Park Bowl is at 1200 South Avenue, Rochester NY (Corner of South and Reservoir; click here for map) Note: there is no performance July 12, due to a concert at the Bowl. The Thursday night Movies at the Bowl series starts July 3 (see our Movies at the Bowl page.)
Light refreshments will be served at the Bowl at each performance.
Normal Monroe County Parks Department rules apply as to bringing food
and beverages to the Highland Park Bowl. It is advisable to bring a
lawn chair or a blanket.
Since 1997, RCP's Shakespeare Players program has produced a dozen Shakespearian epics. Many from the cast of last year's epic Romeo & Juliet return
to this production, including Colista Turner (last year's Juliet, this
year's Roseline). John Jaeger, the director, describes the production
using such adjectives as fast-paced, over-the-top, and outrageous. He
considers the play to be Shakespeare's most subversive of traditional
values and a revolution against traditional mores.

As with most Shakespearian comedies, the plot of As You Like It
is spectacularly convoluted. The play starts in the Fall, survives a
grim Winter, reawakens in the Spring, and love triumphs in the end, in
the fullness of Summer. The story mostly takes place in the mythical
Forest of Arden in France in some non-specific past. Duke Frederick
has exiled his older brother, Duke Senior, who's daughter Rosalind is
close friends to Frederick's only child, Celia. A young nobleman,
Orlando, has fallen in love with Rosalind, but he has been forced to
flee the court by his brother, Oliver. When Frederick banishes Rosalind
from court, Celia joins her in the Arden Forest, with Rosalind
disguised as a young man, "Ganymede" and Celia disguised as Ganymede's
sister, "Aliena".
The exiled Duke Senior lives in the forest with his band of merry
men, including the famously melancholy Jacques. Orlando also joins
Duke Senior in the forest and takes to writing poems of love to Roselyn
and posting them on the forest trees. Rosalind, as "Ganymede", meets
Orlando and advises him how to get over his love. "Ganymede"pretends
to take Rosalind's place so that "he" and Orlando can act out the
Roseline-Orlando relationship.
Meanwhile, the shepherd Silvius is in love with a local farm girl,
Phebe, who has, in turn, fallen in love with "Ganymede", who is, of
course, actually Roseline who is in love with Orlando while Celia falls
for his brother Oliver after Oliver repents his bad ways, but Oliver
has fallen for "Aliena", Celia's false identity. Plot spoiler: all are
happily brought together in the end.
Colista Turner (Roseline) is beseeched by James Heath (Orlando, as Judy Molner (Celia, right) looks on
James Heath (Orlando) receives instructions from director John Jaeger
Judy Molner as Celia, friend to Roseline

Our 2007 Summer Shakespeare at the Bowl production was Romeo & Juliet, For a link to some nice Romeo & Juliet photos taken by photographer, Ron Kalasinskas, see this link at RochesterForKids.com (photos - "Romeo and Juliet at Highland Bowl", located on the photo index, right-hand side, just above Mt. Hope Cemetery, Douglass-Anthony Memorial Bridge, and Corn Hill Arts Festival 2007)
Romeo & Juliet cast list:
Romeo Jimmy Stadt Juliet Colista Turner Mercutio Jonathan Ntheketha Benvolio Peter Giordano Paris Peter Cayer Tybalt Brad Holzer Capulet John Jaeger Lady Capulet Judy Molner Escalus Terry Brennan Montague Jim Valone Lady Montague Kathy Dauer Nurse Maria Scipione Friar Lawrence Tom Bohrer Chorus Ken Dauer Sampson Zach Reeb Gregory Shawn Farrell Abram Jim Heath Balthasar Marcy Savastano Officer Patrick White Train of Prince Escalus Konrad Emmet, Ken Dauer Servant Didrik Soderstrom Cousin Capulet ("2nd Capulet) Kelly Flegel Peter Frank Hartley Montague Guys Jim Heath, Ed Byrne, Crescenzo Scipione Capulet Guys Zach Reeb, Shawn Farrell, Katelyn Machnica Apothecary Ed Byrne Friar John Patrick White Chief Watchman Ken Dauer 2nd Watchman Kelly Flegel 3rd Watchman Konrad Emmert Citizens,
Guests, and Members of the Ensemble:: Don Meyer, Katelyn Machnica,
Crystal Taylor, Michael Johnson, Daniel Horrocks, Brandon Fisher, Kelly
Flegel, Jessamyn Slon Crescenzo Scipione
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