Date: March 27, 2007
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

PNC Players to Stage Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”

WESTVILLE – The PNC Players of Purdue University North Central will present a production of William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, “As You Like It,” at the Mainstreet Theatre in Michigan City.

The public is invited the performances at the Mainstreet Theatre, 807 Franklin St., on Saturday April 12, and Friday April 18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday April 13 and Saturday April 19 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for general admission; $5 for PNC students presenting a valid student ID and $8 for senior citizens and PNC faculty and staff and youth to age 18.

The production is directed by Dr. Paul Hecht, PNC assistant professor of English. Hecht will present a pre-show talk in the Mainstreet Theatre upper lobby at 7 p.m. to give ticket holders an overview of the play, and to discuss Shakespeare and his writing.

“As You Like It,” is the story of a group of city folk forced by circumstance to retreat into the country, which turns out to be one of those countrysides where anything, but especially any kind of love, can happen. The daughter of a banished duke, Rosalind, goes from a subservient position in society to a place where she can run the show, made possible in part by her disguise as a shepherd. The basis of romantic
relationships then and now is turned over, examined, found to be wanting in solidity and rational basis, but is ultimately embraced.

“As You Like It” has long been celebrated as a masterwork of its kind, a comedy with numerous characters of differing backgrounds, social positions, intelligence and eloquence, that nonetheless manages a splendid coherence. The play has memorable poetry, including the famous “All the world’s a stage” speech, along with biting and wittily satiric prose - often in the same scene. Though lacking in the fairies and overt magic of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the Forest of Arden remains one of Shakespeare’s most memorable settings where characters can be near-miraculously transformed, where roles taken on in a play can become magically real and the reality of civilized life can become as powerless as a dream.

The PNC Players and their roles are Teresa Ludvigsen, La Porte, as Rosalind; Calla Holmes-Robbins, Chesterton, as Celia; Jon Meyer, Michigan City, as Orlando; Brett Evans, Valparaiso, as Oliver; Grant Fitch, Crown Point, as Touchstone; Aram Arden, Valparaiso, as Jaques; Kathleen Tucker, Michigan City, as Phoebe; Amanda Christensen, Chesterton, as Audrey; Nick Montgomery, Valparaiso, as Silvius; Ted Armstrong, North Pinto, Saskatchewan, as Duke Frederick and John Manning, PNC professor of English and department chair of English & Modern Languages, as Duke Senior.

The crew includes Erin Bluhm, Michigan City; Denise Sola, of the PNC College of Science; Lauren Lockridge, LaPorte and James Feltz, New Carlisle.

Tickets may be purchased from the Mainstreet Theatre of Michigan City. To obtain further information or reserve tickets contact the theatre at 219-874-4269. Tickets not sold in advance will be available at the door for each performance.

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