As You Like It - About the Folio Script

Shakespeare’s plays were not officially published during his lifetime. Pirated versions of some of the plays circulated, actor’s scripts were passed around, and there were quasi-official printings of some of the plays in quarto form, but plays were generally not considered worthy enough literature to merit the enormous time and expense of the relatively new process of printing. However, in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death, two actors from the King’s Men (Shakespeare’s theatre company), spearheaded the publication of the First Folio, the first collected edition of the plays of Shakespeare. Without this document, eighteen of the plays would probably have disappeared forever, and another eighteen would have survived in a highly qualified state.

Though its unequivocal brilliance is accepted by all Shakespearean scholars, the Folio nevertheless has generated much scholarly discussion and argument. Many editors through the ages have imposed their own stamp on Shakespeare’s words by producing their own editions. There are currently twenty-two English editions of As You Like It in print, all with their own editorial variations. One of the major decisions any theatre company has to make before embarking on a rehearsal period for one of Shakespeare’s plays is which edition to use.

Here at Seattle Shakespeare Company, we have gone back to the source, as it were, and use as our base text a contemporary preparation and annotation of the Folio generated by Vancouver-based text savant and general genius, Neil Freeman (seen above leading a workshop in this picture with Artistic Director Stephanie Shine, Artistic Associate Amy Thone, and Voice and Text Director Kimberly White). Freeman’s wonderful editions have re-established the Folio as the ultimate acting tool, as he has included spellings, typographys and text formats that give essential clues about Shakespeare’s intent when he wrote these remarkable plays. These texts have deepened and enriched Seattle Shakespeare Company’s dramaturgical focus and have enlivened performance choices in unexpected and wonderful ways.

In our ongoing and never-ending pursuit of intimate and daring theatre, these Folio texts, and our relationship with Mr. Freeman, have added more power and intelligence to that quest. We hope the spoken words that you are about to hear will ring with some of the wisdom and excitement of that journey.

– Amy Thone, Artistic Associate

 

Photo Credits: Neil Freeman leading a workshop with Artistic Director Stephanie Shine, Artistic Associate Amy Thone, and Voice and Text Director Kimberly White