“As You Like It” Welcomes Love, Laughter, & Immigrants—at Cal Shakes
A visit to the Forest of Arden brings a bracing breath of fresh air.
Scenic Designer Nina Ball has outdone herself with the creation of a glorious Forest of Arden for Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” When refugees from the corrupt court flee to the forest named after Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden, they are off to build a new world.
Inspired by Dali, giant pink, yellow, and blue leaves decorate Ball’s stunning staircase set—backed by the living forest. Ball conjures a dream commune embedded in Nature. Her beautiful set evokes a fantasy land that liberates and welcomes the immigrants from the court, offering them asylum.
