AS YOU LIKE IT (the Pop Musical):

And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything.

Staged at the Panelli Stage at the Durango Arts Center, April 2012-07-07

Merely Players brought Shakespeare’s sparkling comedy to life in a collaboration with the Durango Performing Arts Company during our Shakespeare for Youth class.  Pop songs added an exciting twist to form a production relevant to teen actors and modern audiences alike.

“Director Mona Wood-Patterson has schooled her performers well in Shakespearean language and rhythm. Not one stumble or hesitation came over the boards, and no one slipped into smarty-pants modern speech. . . . The set is cleverly divided into two locations, court and forest. The cold, gray palace of Duke Frederick is a tomb-like vault faced with faux marble blocks. Technical Director Charles Ford contrasts this constricted world with Arden, a colorful forest filled with fanciful trees and a high-style graffiti mural. . . . Orlando and Rosalind’s bumpy ride to true love showed what teenage performers can do with professional guidance, a love for Shakespearean language and an underlying sense of fun.”

• Judith Reynolds, Durango Herald