August 15, 2024
Wheaton College Arena Theater students and alumni will present “As You Like It” beneath the Memorial Park bandshell in Downtown Wheaton.
Above: Audience members anticipate one of last year’s evening performances of Twelfth Night on August, 25 2023. Photo by Tom Snyder.
Each evening, the curtains will rise on the celebrated playwright’s romantic comedy at 7 p.m., with performances being free and open to the public. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and picnic blankets to Memorial Park (225 Karlskoga Ave). Preceding each main production, actors will present a puppet show at 6:45 p.m. to help introduce audiences young and old to the play’s characters and plot line.
As You Like It is the tenth Shakespearean play performed since Wheaton College and the Wheaton Parks District first began the partnership in 2012. The play’s main storyline follows the various comedic adventures and mishaps of Rosalind as she travels through the forest to convince her true love, Orlando, to marry her. As with many of Shakespeare’s comedies, the play contains plenty of characters in disguise, wordplay, and complicated relationships.
For more information, visit https://wheatonparkdistrict.com/events/shakespeare/.
—Eliana Chow