Ms. Roark’s AP English 12 classes traveled to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. to see As You Like It by William Shakespeare. They left early in the morning, February 9, to see the classic show.

On the theater are large, white stone carvings lining the building that show famous scenes from Shakespeare’s plays. Its library was built in 1932 and still to this day remains the premier area for Shakespearean studies outside of England.

The area had three balconies for seating with all the balconies a dark wood and columns in the middle of the stage. The design seemed to mimic the layout of The Globe, a famous theater in England designed by Shakespeare where they still put on shows (though much smaller and rectangular).

During the show the actors walked through the audience, came down from the balconies where some of the audience sat, and altogether were very interactive with the surrounding area. In one scene, Orlando walked off the stage and threw some of his love letters for Rosalind into the crowd, and the papers actually had individual poems transcribed on them. It was a unique keepsake for the people watching the show.

During the show actual show the cast played instruments on stage such as the piano, guitars, the harmonica, and the fiddle. The theater interpreted the play through newly composed musical pieces.

“I actually really enjoyed it,” Loren Moody (‘17), one of Roark’s students, said. “I thought it was well done; I wasn’t prepared for it, but it was good.”

All the actors in the show were very animated; they all brought a new take to these classic characters.

Lauryn Hobbs (‘17) said,  “It was really good. Everyone had really great energy and it was a nice take on it. I thought there was some cool music and dancing stuff. Whenever it started to get boring, they put in a song, and I was intrigued again.”  

The trip overall seemed to be a success, and when Ms. Roark was asked about the trip, she said, “The students said they really enjoyed it. They found it really useful and liked seeing they play acted out. They said it helped them understand it better. My favorite part of the show was sitting next to my student Kami and getting to hear all of her side comments about the show.”