As You Like It

What happens when we choose joy, forgiveness, and love over bitterness and control? 

This summer our students will bring you As You Like It like you’ve never seen before. A vibrant, modern retelling set right here in Boston. With the sleek, high-powered Seaport District as the Duke’s court and the soul-filled streets of Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan as the Forest of Arden, this story becomes more than just a love story – it becomes a story of self-discovery, healing, and transformation. This version of the Shakespearean classic explores what it means to step away from toxic relationships/legacies and create something new.  

This is more than just a play. This is a homecoming, a love letter to the healing that happens when young people find their voices, their people, and their purpose. Our students have poured their hearts and brilliance into every moment of this show.  

Come ready to laugh, reflect, and dance a little in your seat and witness what it means to reclaim your story – not just as you like it but as you need it.  

Dear Friends,  

“All the world’s a stage”  

Welcome to the 19th Annual Summer Theatre Institute’s production of As You Like It by William Shakespeare, in a modern verse translation by Rosa Joshi and Kate Wisniewski.  

This show is so personal to me. Like Rosalind, I have stepped into new spaces with fear in one hand and hope in another. To most, this is a comedy about love and funny disguises, but it is much more complex than that. With a director’s lens, I was able to dig deeper into the story and discovered that it is about self-discovery, healing, and transformation. We see a tale of young people who make a choice to be different than those who came before them and actively seek joy and freedom. The vast contrast of the strictness and uniformity of the Duke’s court versus the free-spirited community of the Forest of Arden reminds me so much of my own city. The forest is where the masks come off. Boston neighborhoods can sometimes feel like they’re worlds apart, that is why I wanted to set my version of this show in Boston.  

It has been a true pleasure and an honor to work with these incredibly talented students this summer. Watching them create a safe community in which they could learn and take risks individually and collectively, diving into the text and developing their characters with grace and humor was beautiful. Special thanks to the cast, our stage manager, assistant stage manager, our producer, and stage crew.  

We hope you enjoy it! 

Latasha Snider 

Director, As You Like It 

Education Programs Associate, The Huntington