Casting has been announced for Match: Lit's mainstage production of William Shakespeare's As You Like It, presented at the Access Theater Gallery in February 2020.
NYU Tisch alum Caitlyn McCain (Stella Adler Studio) takes on the spirited Rosalind, and Caroline Rose Leon (recently seen as Mercutio in Lady Shakes Theater Company's Romeo & Juliet) plays the lovelorn Orlando. Laurel Andersen, previous director of two BARDcore readings and last seen as Juliet in Romeo & Juliet, directs their first full production; Regina Renée Russell will serve as assistant director.
"As You Like It is a beloved text, a play I've been drawn to for years, and I feel tremendously privileged to have been given the opportunity to gently pull it apart and look at it again with fresh eyes," says Andersen. "Match: Lit is an actor-forward company, and the casting of this tremendous group of artists has driven our concept to fruition, enabling both our deconstruction and celebration of what makes this an enduring story. For them, we have looked at these characters anew, and in many cases, made alterations: we've merged characters together; changed their gender identities; re-examined our assumptions about who they are and what they want-all this in service of getting to the heart of the piece, in foraging for the big questions about life that lie in all of Shakespeare's work."
Match: Lit welcomes newcomers Sheleah Harris and Lauren Wainwright to the ensemble as Rosalind's dynamic cousin Celia and jovial Pied Piper Amiens, respectively. Familiar faces include Daniel Cabrera as Audrey (Silvius, Bc: As You Like It); Victoria M. Fragnito as Oliver (Capulet, Romeo & Juliet, et al.); Theo McKenna in the multi-faceted track of Duke Senior/Duke Frederick/Adam (Malvolio, Bc: Twelfth Night); Joe Raik as Silvius (Leontes, Bc: The Winter's Tale); Anna Stacy as Touchstone (Rosalind, Bc: As You Like It); Rudi Utter as Jaques and the production's text coach (Friar Laurence, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Macbeth, et al.); and Kristin Sgarro as Phebe (Romeo, Romeo & Juliet, et al.). Sgarro, Match: Lit's Founder, Artistic Director, and Producer, is also the composer and musical director for the production.
Tickets for As You Like It will be available to order on Monday, January 20th, 2020 at www.matchlit.org.
Videos