Shakespeare Comes Home: As You Like It at Folger Theatre

Shakespeare's beloved comedy As You Like It has found a new home at Folger Theatre — and it feels unmistakably like this city. Running through April 12, 2026, at the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill, this production is envisioned by Artistic Director Karen Ann Daniels and directed by Timothy Douglas, with dramaturg Otis Ramsey-Zöe helping ground the story in the soul of Washington itself. The result is a production that honors the text while making it feel immediate, local, and alive.

As You Like It at Folger Theatre

The central conceit is elegantly simple and surprisingly resonant. Shakespeare's play has always been about the tension between a rigid, corrupt court and the freedom of the Forest of Arden — and here that tension maps directly onto DC's dual identity. The sterile machinery of federal power stands in for the Duke's court, while Arden becomes the real Washington: the neighborhoods, the front porches, the block parties, the communal spirit stretching from Anacostia to U Street. The characters who flee into the forest mirror DC's own long history of people seeking autonomy, claiming their own identity, and building community on their own terms.

The story follows cousins Rosalind and Celia as they escape a corrupt court and find freedom in the forest, adopting disguises along the way — Rosalind as a young man named Ganymede, Celia as a shepherdess. Rosalind's love interest, Orlando, is there too, having fled his cruel older brother, and he unknowingly pours out his heart to Ganymede without realizing it's Rosalind in disguise. Around them swirl jesters, philosophers, shepherds, and a collection of comic lovers, all contrasting the coldness of power with the warmth of community.

Tsilala Brock leads the company with confidence and wit as Rosalind, handling both the character's emotional intelligence and the gender-disguise comedy with ease. Sabrina Lynne Sawyer is a sharp, warm Celia — her bond with Brock is genuine and feels almost sisterly. Manu Kumasi brings understated sincerity to Orlando, keeping the character grounded rather than heroic, and Ahmad Kamal delivers real spark and bawdy insight as the fool Touchstone. Nikkole Salter commands the stage as the melancholy Jaques, delivering Shakespeare's famous "all the world's a stage" speech with a gravity that lingers. Jefferson A. Russell is equally strong in the dual roles of the exiled Duke Senior and his usurping brother Duke Frederick — a pairing that underscores the play's central duality. John Sygar serves as the production's musical heart, threading through scenes as narrator, musician, and storyteller with a voice that earns its own applause. The ensemble as a whole performs with seamless chemistry, with most actors playing more than one role convincingly.

The design work is exceptional and essential to the production's sense of place. Scenic designer Gisela Estrada opens the show in a gray, neoclassical federal setting before the stage transforms into something warmer — a communal space evoking Malcolm X Park and the everyday life of DC's neighborhoods. The shift is striking and beautiful. Minjoo Kim's lighting amplifies the contrast, particularly through neon columns that punctuate the transition from court to Arden. Celeste Jennings' costumes travel the same journey, moving from buttoned-up Capitol Hill tailoring to bright, individualistic pieces with West African influences. Composer KOKAYI draws on DC's rich musical tradition — go-go, jazz, R&B, and hip hop — bringing a distinctly local sound to Shakespeare's text, with original lyrics by sound designer Miki Vale.

What makes this production genuinely worth seeing is that its DC framing never feels like a gimmick. It adds context and energy without crowding out the play. The Folger's intimate 250-seat Elizabethan-style theatre is itself part of the experience, with performers moving through the aisles and into the upper seating to pull the audience directly into Arden. At a runtime of two and a half hours with one intermission, it's a full evening — and a rewarding one.

As You Like It plays through April 12, 2026, at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC. Performances are generally Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets start at $20.