William Shakespeare’s

AS YOU LIKE IT
presented by:
THE ECOLE D’HUMANITE
on
Saturday, March 20^th and Sunday, March 21^st, 1999
in the Grand Hall, Edith & Paul Geheeb Haus

Bitter envy slices through Duke Frederick’s cruel court: Oliver, a sneering nobleman, jealous of his younger brother Orlando’s natural grace, deprives him of his fortunes and feeds him with his dogs. The hard-edged Duke, having banished his older brother and seized his lands, glares suspiciously at those below from a well-guarded tower. In this stifling world, brilliant ladies are confined to idleness and the only sport is violence: crowds cheer to see men break ribs and die. And when Duke Frederick turns his suspicions against his niece Rosalind, the daughter of his banished brother, her life seems dangerously fragile in his grip. But in the company of her cousin Celia, Rosalind escapes into the Forest of Arden, "to liberty and not to banishment."

Freed from the confining walls of a father’s court, the women are suddenly transposed into a world of possibilities, where they can wear disguises, try out new identities, and explore their desires. Arden is not paradise, here there is "winter and rough weather," but nature’s refreshing wind can "feelingly persuade me what I am." Here Rosalind’s father, the Duke Senior, lives in perpetual holiday with his fellow exiles, finding "tongues in trees" and "books in the running brooks," translating nature into poems and song.

Romance, in this "holiday humour," can flourish, and Orlando, escaping as well into the forest with his faithful servant Adam, is discovered by Rosalind like a "dropp’d acorn" and cultivated in the wisdom of love. Rosalind, in her man’s disguise, revels in the masquerades of lovers, and her games in Arden mock the silliness of Romance: "Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love." And yet, unlike Jaques (a melancholy fellow, exiled with Duke Senior), Rosalind’s experience does not make her sad. Nor, like the Fool Touchstone, does she see love as "mere folly," a disguise for lust: "Man," Touchstone says ironically, "has his desires." Instead, Rosalind’s playing celebrates the fairy tale in all its absurdity, as well as the "true delights" wiser lovers will find when the holiday is over, a curtain falls on the "pageant," and we return to reality and the "working-day world."

In the annual Shakespeare performance, everyone who wants to participate is given a part.

For many of the players, English is a second language

THE CAST

Duke Senior, living in banishment Sara Gottschalk, Sweden

Frederick, his brother & usurper of his dominions Liza Tilmann, Germany

Lady Amiens attending on the Samantha Caruthers, USA

Jacques banished duke David Kuczera, Germany

le Beau, a courtier attending onFrederick Sebastien Thieme, France/USA

Charles, wrestler to Frederik Benjamin Ruquist, USA

Oliver, sons of Juan Cardenal, Spain

Second brother, Sir Rowland Sebastien Thieme, France/USA

Orlando, de Boys Ben Vinhateiro, USA

Adam, servants Rowan Hill, USA

Dennis, to Oliver Quin Hill USA

Touchstone, a clown Courtney Everett, USA

Sir Oliver Mar-text, a minister Kevin Gretener, Switzerland

Corin, shepherd Diana Grec, USA/Poland

Sylvius, shepherd Bernat Garcia, Spain

William,a country fellow, in love with Audrey Quin Hill, USA

A person representing Hymen Henriëtte Bäcker, Holland

Rosalind, daughter to the banished Duke Martha Bernabe, USA

Celia, daughter to Frederick Sun Gretener, Switzerland

Phebe, a shepherdess Lea Ernst, Switzerland

Audrey, a country wench Jayne Eyre, England

Lord, attending Duke Frederick Liljana Lolja, Albania

Lady, attending Duke Frederick Ceileidh Siegel, USA

Lord, attending Duke Frederick Henriëtte Bäcker, Holland

Lord, attending banished Duke Liljana Lolja, Albania

Lady, attending banished Duke Ceileidh Siegel, USA

Lord, attending banished Duke Benjamin Ruquist, USA

Town boys Kevin Gretener, Switzerland, Quin Hill, USA

Orange peddler Henriëtte Bäcker, Holland

Page boy and girl in the forest Ceileidh Siegel & Quin Hill, USA

A few pictures from the play
click on it to get the next one

PRODUCTION

Stage sets: Melissa Bagg, Martha Bernabe, Ashley Curtis, Sun Gretener, Lindsay Page, Sasha Smolokowski, Sebastien Thieme, Ben Vinhaitero

Costumes: Martha Bernabe, Samantha Caruthers, Courtney Everett, Anita Glausen, Simon Goebel, Natalie Lüthi, Serena Mattiucci, Sakura Ono, Lindsay Page, Ben Vinhaitero, Chieh Yiu

Music: Jeroen Bos, David Kaufmann, Andreas Keim, Ernst and Sigi Thöni,

Songs Thomas Morley (1557-1603) & Christopher Schmidt

Lights: Lukas Schäfer & Ryuta Tatekawa

Make-up: Catherine Bardinet, Magali Cunz, Lindsay Page,

Properties: Melissa Bagg

Prompters: Jayne Eyre, Lindsay Page, Liza Tilmann,

Directors: Melissa Bagg, Natalie Lüthi