Rozsa Center to present "As You Like It" by The Acting Company Feb. 12

HOUGHTON -- "All the World's a Stage" is the most popular line from one of Shakespeare's most-loved fairy tales, As You Like It, which comes to the Rozsa Center just in time for Valentine's Day.

A scene with Chris Thorn and two other actors in The Acting Company/Guthrie Theater  production of As You Like It. (Photo by Heidi Bohnencamp and courtesy Rozsa Center)

The Acting Company presents As You Like It at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts in Houghton.

Directed by Dan Rothenberg, this production makes this fanciful, romantic comedy accessible for all ages, from high school students reading Shakespeare for the first time to older generations well versed in the classics.

As You Like It is a metaphor of love: its power, madness, danger, humor and reflection. On one level, it is a diverting amusement. On a deeper level, it is a journey of discovery in which the characters gain knowledge of themselves and the world.

Actors Joseph Midyett and Elizabeth Stallman play the leads, Orlando and Rosalind, and the play follows its heroine, Rosalind, as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia and Touchstone the court jester, to find safety and eventually love in the Forest of Arden.

Since its founding by the legendary John Houseman and Margot Harley in 1972, The Acting Company has launched the careers of some of today’s finest actors -- Kevin Kline,
Rainn Wilson, Patti LuPone, Jeffrey Wright, Frances Conroy, Jesse L. Martin to name a few -- while performing 137 productions all across the country.

This performance is sponsored in part by UPPCO, Minnesota Public Radio, the James and Margaret Black Endowment, and support from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Tickets are $26.75 for adults, $24.75 for seniors and $22.75 for Michigan Tech students. To purchase tickets, call 487-2073, go online at Rozsa, or visit Ticketing Operations at the SDC. SDC box office hours are 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Saturday, and noon-8 p.m. on Sunday. Please note the Rozsa Box Office is closed during regular business hours and will only open two hours prior to show times.