Feature: 4th Wall's SUMMER SHAKES Production of AS YOU LIKE IT Showcases High School Students

As the promise of live theater is slowly making its way back to the theatres of Houston, one upcoming exciting endeavor is the 4th Wall Theatre's SUMMER SHAKES program. SUMMER SHAKES is 4th Wall's new conservatory program where they will house ten high school students, teach them modern Shakespearean acting styles, and learn behaviors that will help them in professional settings. Partnering with his alma mater of Juilliard, Artistic Director Philip Lehl is also bringing two of their students to assist him in creating an educational program and ultimately, a professional production. The training will last four weeks culminating in a weekend production of William Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT.

The production will be this upcoming weekend, July 22-25th. This brand new educational opportunity for Houston's high school students centers on giving high school students a taste of a professional production. Led by Lehl, the program will walk students through his idiosyncratic acting approach to the immortal bard's words. In talks with him, Lehl notes that people often overact Shakespeare's words, sometimes losing the meaning of the prose. However, this production of AS YOU LIKE IT promises to be something Houston has not seen before.

In discussion with Lehl, one really feels the excitement he has for the production and the future of the SUMMER SHAKES program. This stems from Lehl's desire to create more summer opportunities for the students of Juilliard. As mentioned, two Juilliard students are leaving the metropolis of New York City and instead are coming down to Texas for the summer. The two college students joining in this inaugural Summer Shakes are Arianna Stucki and Aaron Gonner, both with their extensive list of theatrical credits.

Joining Lehl in this artistic and educational venture are designers Andrew Vance in lighting and Yezminne Zepeda in sounds design. Lehl remarks, "I'm thrilled to be working with an incredible team of professional designers to create a pared down version of AS YOU LIKE IT that allows these students to focus on Shakespeare's text. The showcase will be the perfect opportunity for them to apply all the techniques they learned over the course of the summer."

4th Wall Theatre Co. has been creating theatrical experiences for the Houston area for the last ten years, and this program is another fresh and exciting addition to their lineup. This rendition of AS YOU LIKE IT will be another glittering jewel in the Houston summer theatre scene.If you are interested in sponsoring a student in a future Summer Shakes program at 4th Wall, please email info@4thwalltheatreco.com.

4th Wall's SUMMER SHAKES production of AS YOU LIKE IT will run July 22nd- July 25th. Thursday - Saturday performances are at 7:30 pm, with a Sunday matinee at 3:00 pm. The runtime for this gender-bent story will be 2 hours and 15 minutes with an intermission. Performances will take place at Studio 101 at 1824 Spring St in Houston. Visit 4thwalltheatreco.com for tickets, and be sure to follow the theatre on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.