All the world’s a stage and aren’t we better for it?In a shift change from our last production, As You Like It is celebrated as Waterdale’s first Shakespeareplay in over five years. This hilarious comedy has been years in the making for our Director -Waterdale Alumni Daniel Cooper which has been paired perfectly with original music from ShelleyDunlop. What was first envisioned as only including a handful of songs has blossomed into a full set,showing off the talent and versatility of our cast. The infectious joy this production has encompassedhas been an absolute pleasure to watch come together.The production team have excelled in their creativity, care and commitment to the cast and to eachother. From the vision boards of the costuming to the creation of individualised practise tracks; theproduction team have woven a stunning adaptation of this Shakespeare classic. We’re proud toshowcase strong female protagonists and diversity in our cast and production team.It's rewarding to see great friendships begin, strengthen and blossom. The cast have been a pleasureto work with and we look forward to the next time they call Waterdale home. We're excited to be ableto provide a platform for first time, returning and seasoned Waterdale performers to build and showofftheir skills and enjoy great experiences.Thank you to all our volunteers and the Waterdale committee. The amount of work that goes behindthe scenes to make this possible is incredible. You are all superstars! For anyone interested in helpingout - please get in touch, we are a warm, welcoming bunch and would love some extra woman andman power to put on bigger and more shows!Thank you and enjoy As You Like ItFiona Boyle and Matilda O'RileyCo-ProducersAs You Like It was not a show I was expecting to direct this year. Shakespeare is rarely done inamateur theatre and if it is, it’s one of the other (excellent) comedies. Your Twelfth Nights, yourMuch Ados or, most likely of all, your Midsummer Night’s Dreams. However, I’ve always wanted totake a crack at As You Like It. There’s just something special about this comedy of love, foolery andtransformation.For example, it has one of, if not the greatest, female characters in a Shakespeare play in Rosalind.She is one of the cleverest, wittiest and (definitely for the time) subversive characters. Hertransformation into the male disguise of Ganymede is a freeing experience, allowing her to unleashher true self without having to worry about the rules of a patriarchal society. It is noticeable thatRosalind not only pursues her own love interest, but also tests to see if he will accept her as theclever and brilliant woman she is. She is also the only character to both see the ridiculousness offalling in love and still embrace the joy of doing so. As such, she is the heart and soul of the play.To highlight these transformative and transgressional themes, our setting for this production isinspired by 1960’s Australia (although other eras are referenced), a period associated with change,subversion and progress in civil liberties. We’ve also taken great pride in including original music bythe amazingly talented Shelley Dunlop, which mostly takes inspiration from the folk-rock musicians ofthe time, such as Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. It’s always been my belief that Shakespeare’s plays areincomplete without music and dance.Lastly, I would like to thank the rest of the incredible team who have worked on this production.From the hidden but essential hard, behind the scenes work of Waterdale and the crew, to thewonderful cast and prod team who have had to put up with my eclectic brain. I hope that our As YouLike It is to your liking, and brings you joy in these strange times.Daniel CooperDirector
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'SDirected by Daniel CooperFeaturing music by Shelley Dunlop
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