As You Like It - Utah Shakespeare Festival

Blow, blow thou winter wind

As You Like It at Utah Shakespeare Festival was a delight. In cooperation with director Robynn Rodriguez and composer/music director Brandon Scott Grayson, we created two distinct worlds for this beautiful production. The court where we meet our characters is austere and cold, a mirror for the chilliness of the Duke Frederick’s court and the relationships on the de Boys homestead. The aural landscape was scraped bare of singing birds and any exterior life, save a wind that swept across stage, a droning squeezebox, and a percussive accent that helped us transition scenes and keep the urgency of the moment.

That same wind blows our heroes Rosalind, Celia, and Orlando to the Forest of Arden. As we transitioned into Arden, birds and other forest life overtook the wind and we started to hear our Forest Lords play. We focused on original music set to Shakespeare’s text for his most musical of comedies, finding our inspiration largely in traditional Irish folk. Additionally, we used a few traditional tunes in places to help bind everything together. You can find “Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind” in its entirety here.

CREDITS

As You Like It
by William Shakespeare
Utah Shakespeare Festival
Cedar City, UT
July 9 - September 30, 2017

Director: Robynn Rodriguez
Scenic Designer: Scott Davis
Lighting Designer: Michael Pasquini
Costume Designer: Lauren Roark
Sound Designer: Matthew Tibbs
Music Director/Composer:
Brandon Scott Grayson

Rosalind: Cassandra Bissell
Celia: Susanna Florence
Duke Senior: John G. Preston
Duke Frederick: John G. Preston
Orlando: Jeb Burris
Oliver: Geoffrey Kent
Adam: Fred C. Adams
Dennis: Trent Dahlin
Charles: Taylor Harris
Le Beau: John Harrell
Touchstone: Jonathan Haugen
Amiens (Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals):
John Harrell
Jaques: MIchael Elich
Corin: Jack Lafferty
Silvius: Eric Schabla
Phebe: Kelly Rogers
Audrey: Latoya Cameron
William: Michael Manocchio
Sir Oliver Martext: Taylor Harris
Jacques de Boys: Shane Kenyon
Forest Lord (Guitar and Vocals): Trent Dahlin
Forest Lord (Viola): Jennifer Vosters
Forest Lord (Guitar, Frame Drum):
Devin Anderson