ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY ANNOUNCE FULL CASTING FOR AS YOU LIKE IT
- A playful and provocative new take on Shakespeare’s comedy which rediscovers the themes of freedom and love from the perspective of older age
Saturday 17 June – Saturday 5 August 2023
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Press Night: Tuesday 27 June, 7pm
RSC BOX OFFICE: 01789 331111 rsc.org.uk
Download photos of the cast here
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has today announced full casting for its forthcoming production of As You Like It, directed by Omar Elerian, which runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between 17 June – 5 August 2023.
Challenging the stereotypes and pre-conceptions associated with growing older, this playful and provocative new take on As You Like It features a company of actors most of whom are aged over 70.
Commenting on the production Elerian said: “When the RSC got in touch about directing the play, I was really keen to explore it from a fresh and new perspective; I was also hoping to work with actors who had a huge experience, of both Shakespeare and life.
“Much as the play is traditionally associated with young love, I feel there’s something really powerful in rediscovering the themes of freedom and love from the perspective of older age. I’ve therefore cast the play almost exclusively with performers who are past the age of 70. Allowing the actors’ age to be both very present in the audience’s mind and yet be forgotten throughout the production feels to me like one of the most immediate demonstrations of how theatre can be a place of wondrous possibilities and imagination - not only to seek escape from the relentlessness of our daily lives - but also to create a sort of literal, communal ‘compassion' for our shared humanity.”
In Elerian’s production a company of veteran actors - many of whom have a strong history with the RSC – together with four younger actors will perform one of Shakespeare’s most joyous tales. On a stage transformed into a simple rehearsal room, the actors will gather to conjure a long gone show of which nothing is left but their fading memory of it, celebrating the magic of theatre and its unique power to make our imagination soar in an ode to young love, old age, and theatre itself.
Talking about the younger members of the cast, Elerian said: “The four younger members of the company will act as understudies as well as participating in the act of conjuring the memory of this long gone production of As You Like It. Script in hand and ready to spring into action, they will complement with their youthful exuberance the mastery of their more experienced colleagues in a playful and touching encounter between generations.”
The full cast is: Celia Bannerman (Phoebe), Maureen Beattie (Celia), Michael Bertenshaw (Oliver), Hannah Bristow (Player), Oliver Cotton (Jacques), David Fielder (Silvius), James Hayes (Touchstone), Geraldine James (Rosalind), Tyreke Leslie (Player), Mogali Masuku (Player), David Sibley (Corin), Malcolm Sinclair (Orlando), Robin Soans (Duke Senior/Duke Frederick/Hymen), Cleo Sylvestre (Audrey), Ewart James Walters (William / Charles the Wrestler) and Rose Wardlaw (Player).
Omar Elerian is Olivier award-nominated director, writer and dramaturg. As You Like It will be his first production for the RSC. A graduate of the Lecoq International Theatre School, Paris, Omar was the resident Associate Director at the Bush Theatre from 2012-2019, where he commissioned and directed some of the theatre’s most successful shows. As a sole director for the Bush Theatre, his credits include smash-hit Misty by Arinzé Kene (Bush, West End, New York), NASSIM by Nassim Soleimanpour (Bush Theatre, Traverse Theatre and a world tour), Going Through by Estelle Savasta and Islands by Caroline Horton.
In 2022, Omar translated and directed the Olivier Award-winning Kathryn Hunter and Marcello Magni and Toby Sedgwick, in a new revival of Eugène Ionesco’s tragic farce; The Chairs (Almeida), a show described by The Guardian as “a gloriously fizzy cocktail of slapstick, physical theatre and silliness”.
Joining Omar on the creative team are Ana Inés Jabares Pita (Designer), Jackie Shemesh (Lighting), Will Gregory (Music), Elena Peña (Sound), Annabel Arden and Jos Houben (Movement), Tim Crouch (Creative Associate) and Matthew Dewsbury CDG (Casting Director).
The cast includes:
Celia Bannerman’s previous RSC credits include Man is Man, Perkin Warbeck and Richard III. Other theatre includes: The Cherry Orchard (Salisbury Playhouse), Northanger Abbey (Greenwich), Blithe Spirit (World Tour), Emma (Cambridge Theatre Company). Television credits include: 14-Diaries of the Great War (BBC/ARTE), Hindenburg (Channel 4), Bad Girls (ITV). Film credits include: Nanny McPhee, The Land Girls, As You Like It, Biddy, Little Dorrit, and The Tamarind Seed.
Maureen Beattie’s previous RSC credits include: The History Plays, Richard III, Titus Andronicus, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, King Lear, The Constant Couple, and The Man of Mode. Other theatre credits include: Duet For One (Orange Tree Theatre), and My Fair Lady (London Coliseum). Television credits include: Black Cake, Our House, Deadwater Fell, Outlander Series 2, and Doctor Who Christmas Special. Film credits include: Sunlight, Spores, The Decoy Bride, The List.
Michael Bertenshaw’s previous RSC credits include Henry VI Pt I, II and III, and Coriolanus. Other theatre credits include: The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, All’s Well That Ends Well, Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII, Measure For Measure (Shakespeare’s Globe). Television credits include: Grace, We Hunt Together, The Rebel, The Crown (Season 1&2), The Miniaturist, Silent Witness, and Miliband of Brothers. Film includes: The Last Kick, and The Da Vinci Code.
This is Hannah Bristow’s RSC debut season. Theatre credits include: Five Children And It (Egg Theatre Bath Theatre Royal), Much Ado About Nothing (Tobacco Factory), Napoli, Brooklyn (Park Theatre/UK Tour), Jane Eyre (National Theatre/UK Tour), Kindertransport (Queens Theatre/Theatre de la Ville, Luxembourg). Television includes: The Man That Fell To Earth, (Showtime/CBS), A Small Light (ABC/Disney).
Oliver Cotton’s previous RSC credits include: Some Americans Abroad, The Plain Dealer, The Plantagenets, The Marrying of Ann Leete and Brand. Other theatre credits include: Love For Love, In His Own Write, As You Like It, and The Royal Hunt of The Sun (National Theatre). Television credits include: The Borgias (Cesare Borgia), Killing Eve, Lovejoy, New Tricks, Assets, and Penny Dreadful. Film credits include: Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush, The Day Christ Died, Baby Blue, and The Dark Knight Rises.
David Fielder’s previous RSC credits include: Romeo and Juliet, King John, Hamlet, All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, Richard III, The Tempest and The Taming of the Shrew. Other theatre credits include: Small Island, War & Peace, True Dare Kiss (National Theatre); The Last Days of Anne Boleyn (Historical Royal Palaces), and Waiting For Godot (Tobacco Factory Theatre).
James Hayes’ previous RSC credits include: The Tempest, The Venetian Twins, A New Way To Please You, Measure For Measure, Richard III,Sejanus, Julius Caesar, Written On The Heart. Other theatre credits include: As You Like It, Macbeth, The Rules Of The Game, The Front Page, The Misanthrope, The Fawn, The Life Of Galileo, The Romans In Britain, Amadeus, A View From The Bridge, The Oresteia, The Relapse, Othello, St Joan, The Captain Of Kopenick and Liola (National Theatre, Old Vic and Southbank).
Geraldine James’ most recent TV credits include SILO (AppleTV), Back to Life (BBC1/Showtime), The Beast Must Die (BritBox), and Anne with an E (Netflix), for which she won the 2019 Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress; Geraldine will next be seen in Steven Knight’s series This Town (BBC). Geraldine’s film credits include Downton Abbey, Daphne (for which she was nominated for an Evening Standard Film Award), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Made in Dagenham, Calendar Girls and Gandhi. She has been BAFTA-nominated four times for her television performances, in Dummy, The Jewel in The Crown, Band of Gold and The Sins. Other TV credits include Utopia, The Five, Black Work, Little Britain, Blott on the Landscape and The History Man. Amongst her other theatre credits Geraldine won a Drama Desk Award, and was nominated for a Tony Award, for her performance as Portia in Sir Peter Hall’s production of The Merchant of Venice in the West End and on Broadway opposite Dustin Hoffman; she also played Gertrude opposite Jude Law's Hamlet on Broadway. Geraldine was made an OBE in 2003.
Tyreke Leslie’s previous RSC credits include: First Encounters: Twelfth Night. Other theatre includes: Dead Poets Live: Nonsense Show (Dead Poets Live), Dennis Of Penge, Anna Karenina, Julius Caesar, Intimate Apparel (GSMD), Liter-Airy (My Aerial Home). Film credits include: Everybody Alive Wants Answers, and Heartband (for Royal Court).
Mogali Masuku’s previous RSC credits include: The Winter’s Tale. Other theatre credits include: Belle & Sebastien (Bristol Old Vic), Pericles, The Comedy Of Errors, Twelfth Night (Shakespeare’s Globe Tour), Dr. Faustus (Tangle Theatre co.), Norway.Today, Macbeth (Iris Theatre Company). Television/Film credits include: The Gold (ViacomCBS International), Drift (Memento Films), Dashcam (Blumhouse Productions), Generation Of Vipers (Partizan), Damage 2012 (Television Bandits).
David Sibley’s RSC credits include: The Human Jukebox; Much Ado About Nothing and Space Race Workshops. Other theatre credits include: Pressure (Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto); Henry V (Regents Park Open Air Theatre); Edward II (National Theatre), and Public Enemy (Young Vic). Television and film credits include: Death in Paradise, Motherfatherson, Tuesday, 45 Years, Last Letter from your Lover, Vanity Fair, War and Peace, Casualty, Silent Witness, Doctors, Broadchurch,
Malcolm Sinclair’s previous RSC credits include: Richard III, Uncle Vanya, The Comedy of Errors and Hamlet. Other theatre credits include: Pressure (Royal Alexander Theatre, Toronto), My Fair Lady (London Coliseum), Copenhagen (Theatre Royal Bath). Television credits include: Andor: A Star Wars Story, Midsomer Murders, Virtuoso, Tubby and Enid, Worricker, Silk, Henry V. Film credits include: Drowning, The Man Who Knew Infinity, Survivor, A Belfast Story, The Young Victoria, Casino Royale, and V for Vendetta.
Robin Soans’ RSC previous credits include: As You Like It and Hamlet. Other theatre credits include: Uncle Vanya (Hampstead Theatre, Terry Johnson), Echo’s End (Salisbury Playhouse, Alice Hamilton), Visitors (Bush Theatre & Tour, Alice Hamilton). Television credits includes: Victoria (Mammoth for ITV 1), Doctor Who (BBC). Film credits include: The Princess Switch 3 (Netflix), The Princess Switch: Switched Again (Netflix), The Princess Switch (Netflix), Red Joan (Trademark Films, Trevor Nunn), Victoria and Abdul (BBC Films, Stephen Frears).
This is Cleo Sylvestre’s RSC debut season. Theatre credits include: Wise Child (Wyndham’s Theatre), National Health, Under Milk Wood (National Theatre), The Marvellous Adventures of Mary Seacole, Generations (Chichester), Alleujah! (Bridge Theatre), Our Town (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). Television credits include: Crossroads, Coronation Street, Uncle, The Guilty, Maternal, All Creatures Great and Small, Platform 7. Film credits include: Vagabondia.
Ewart James Walters’s previous RSC credits include: Hamlet, King Lear, Troilus & Cressida, Julius Caesar, Oroonoko, Timon of Athens and Cymbeline. Other theatre credits include: Our Lady Of Kibeho (Royal and Derngate/Stratford East); Sweet Bird Of Youth (Chichester Festival Theatre), Trouble In Mind (Printroom/Ustinov Bath); The Crucible (Bristol Old Vic). Television credits include: The Kitchen (Netflix); Doctors (BBC); The Beaker Girls (BBC); Gunpowder (BBC). Film credits include: The Kitchen; Jane Eyre; The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman.
This is Rose Wardlaw’s RSC debut season. Theatre credits include: Five Children and It (The Egg Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath); Blithe Spirit (Theatre Royal Bath/ West End); Outlying Islands (King’s Head); Eyam, The Winter’s Tale (Globe Theatre); Jubilee (Royal Exchange Theatre/Lyric Hammersmith); Dyl (Old Red Lion); Five Plays: Speaker (Young Vic Theatre); Wanted, Great Expectations, The Night Before Christmas, Richard III (West Yorkshire Playhouse). Television credits include: Call The Midwife, Doctors.
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ENDS
For more information please contact:
Dean Asker, Senior Media Relations Office
dean.asker@rsc.org.uk, 0778 9937759
NOTES TO EDITORS
LISTINGS
As You Like It
Directed by Omar Elerian
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturday 17 June – Saturday 5 August 2023
RSC BOX OFFICE: 01789 331111 rsc.org.uk
Press Night: Tuesday 27 June, 7pm
Director Talk: Monday 26 June, 5.15 – 6.00pm
Post-Show Stay Late: Friday 21 July
Unwrapped: Saturday 5 August 10.15 – 11.15am
Audio Described performances: Thursday 20 July, 1.15pm and Friday 4 August, 7.15pm
Captioned performances: Thursday 6 July, 1.15pm; Thursday 27 July, 1.15pm; and Friday 4 August, 7.15pm
Chilled performance: Thursday 6 July, 1.15pm and Thursday 27 July, 1.15pm
Socially Distanced performance: Thursday 27 July, 1.15pm
The RSC is supported using public funding by Arts Council England
The work of the RSC is supported by the Culture Recovery Fund
The RSC is generously supported by RSC America
The headline sponsor of As You Like It is Darwin Escapes
As You Like It is supported by Season Supporter Charles Holloway
TikTok £10 Tickets sponsored by TikTok
The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation
Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a theatre and learning charity that creates world class theatre, made in Stratford-upon-Avon and shared around the world, performing plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries, as well as commissioning an exceptionally wide range of original work from contemporary writers. Our purpose is to ensure that Shakespeare is for everyone, and we do that by unlocking the power of his plays and of live performance and our learning and education work throughout the UK and across the world.
We believe everybody’s life is enriched by culture and creativity. We have trained generations of the very best theatre makers and we continue to nurture the talent of the future. Our transformative Learning programmes reach over half a million young people and adults each year, and through our Creative Placemaking and Public Programme we create projects with and for communities who have not historically engaged with our work. We are a leader in creative immersive technologies and digital development.
We have a proud record of innovation, diversity and excellence on stage and are determined to grasp the opportunity to become an even more inclusive, progressive, relevant and ambitious organisation.
We have one of the UK’s largest arts learning programmes, working with over 1,000 schools each year to broaden access to high quality arts learning and transform experiences of Shakespeare in schools. Through our national partnership programme with schools and regional theatres we target areas of structural disadvantage, including 26 areas of multiple deprivation across the country, from Cornwall to Middlesbrough. Research shows that our approaches to teaching Shakespeare support the development of reading and writing skills, accelerate language acquisition and development, raise aspirations and improve student attitudes to school and learning in general. They also foster well-being, self-esteem, empathy, resilience and tolerance and promote critical-thinking, creative, analytical, communication and problem-solving skills.
We are committed to being a teaching and learning theatre and we are the only arts organisation to have been awarded Independent Research Organisation status. We create world class theatre for, with and by audiences and theatre makers of all ages. We provide training for emerging and established theatre makers and arts professionals, for teachers and for young people. We share learning formally and informally. We embed training and research across our company, work and processes.
We recognise the climate emergency and work hard to embed environmental sustainability into our operations, creative work and business practice, making a commitment to continually reduce our carbon footprint.
Keep Your RSC supports our mission to create theatre at its best, unlocking Shakespeare and transforming lives. Thousands of generous audience members, trusts and foundations and partners supported Keep Your RSC since 2020, alongside a £19.4 million loan from the Culture Recovery Fund, we are thrilled to be welcoming audiences back. It will take time to recover, to reopen all our theatres, and many years to repay the loan and the support and generosity of our audiences is more important than ever. Please donate at rsc.org.uk/donate
Arts Council England is the national development body for arts and culture across England, working to enrich people’s lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to visual art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2018 and 2022, we will invest £1.45 billion of public money from government and an estimated £860 million from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.www.artscouncil.org.uk
Darwin Escapes
Darwin Escapes currently operates 26-holiday resorts and three golf courses across the UK offering holiday breaks, holiday home ownership and golf breaks. One of the newest retreats, Stratford-upon-Avon Lodge Retreat, is located only two-miles away from the centre of the city and is perfect for theatre trips, along with exploring the local area. You'll enjoy a peaceful countryside location, with luxurious self-catering accommodation, while still being able to enjoy both the theatre and city.
Darwin Escapes offers a wide range of holiday accommodation at its holiday resorts, ranging from romantic boutique escapes to luxury lodge retreats and traditional family-focused holiday parks. All locations boast state-of-the-art and diverse accommodation with some offering on-site facilities including spas, gyms, restaurants and activities.
The company strives to raise the standards of the UK holiday park industry and to ultimately provide the best possible holiday experience for holidaymakers and holiday homeowners by creating brand new resorts in stunning UK locations with accommodation and facilities that rival those of 5-star hotels.
New location coming soon, Blenheim Palace Lodge Retreat. The unique project, will be the first venue of its kind and will see a collection of one, two and three-bedroom lodges built on the grounds of the historic Blenheim Palace Estate, as well as being a gateway to the Oxfordshire countryside.
For further information about Darwin Escapes and its numerous golf and holiday destinations and facilities visit www.darwinescapes.co.uk or follow them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook: @DarwinEscapes
TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. Our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok has global offices including Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Singapore, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
