The merry adventures of lovers Rosalind and Orlando of William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” can be followed during four performances next week in Jefferson County.
Performances are slated to begin at 7 p.m. June 2 and 3 at Chimacum Grange, 9572 Rhody Drive, in Chimacum; and at 7 p.m. June 10 and 11 at Quilcene Theatre, 11 Old Church Road, in Quilcene.
Admission is by donation, organizers said.
Exiled lovers
The comedy — presented by students of Olympic Peninsula Home Connection — follows Rosalind and Orlando as they are exiled to the Forest of Arden by a brother’s betrayal.
The couple become entangled in a beguiling game of love and mistaken identity.
“Full of playful gender-bending, wit and song — with just a touch of melancholy — ‘As You Like It’ reflects on how bewildering yet utterly pleasurable life can be,” said Molly Douglas, who is the publicity director for the play.
The play is co-directed by Consuelo Aduviso Brennan and Franco Bertucci.
Extra instruction
Olympic Peninsula Home Connection is a program that offers supplemental instruction to home-school students, and is intended to bridge the gap between what parents can provide and what students need, Karen Brennan, program director, has said.
These topics include art, ballet, music, theater, journalism and physical education, she said.
About 100 students are involved in the program, equally divided at two venues: one in Port Hadlock at the Irondale Community Church, 681 Irondale Road, and another in Port Angeles at the Fairview Bible Church, 385 O’Brien Road.
The program is administered by the Crescent School District, which manages curriculum, finance and state requirements.
This is the fourth annual production of a Shakespeare play by Olympic Peninsula Home Connection students, Brennan said.
“Given the wealth of talent in our Olympic Peninsula Home Connection acting classes, it seemed obvious to choose ‘As You Like It’ for our Spring production,” Brennan said.
“The students approach Shakespeare fearlessly, and enjoy taking 400-plus year-old words to learn the meaning and make them their own.
“These timeless roles also highlight some of the particular talents of our older actors.”
The cast includes students Rowan Powell, Filomena Bertucci, Jack Gibbons, Pascale Sanok, Galia Roman, Owen Hatfield, Jack Hatfield, Kyle Caldwell, Elias Mitchell, Blake Dalton, Chloe Corbin, Hunter James, Jaiden Corbin, Justin Dalton, Victoria Brass, August Maberry and Melody Douglas, with additional roles played by Peter Glitsch and Chris Sanok.
For more information, call 360-774-0242 or send an email to karenlpbrennan@yahoo.com.
