Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery‘s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s As You Like It, which debuted in 2017 as part of the Public Theater’s Public Works program in Central Park, is now available for worldwide licensing to professional companies through The Musical Company. Additionally, following a return engagement on the Delacorte Theater stage this summer, Taub and Kwame Kwei-Armah‘s 2016 musical adaptation of Twelfth Night will also be made available later this year.
Read: OTHELLO AND A RETURN OF TWELFTH NIGHT TAPPED FOR SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK
Public Works, the Public’s local and national initiative, invites diverse communities across New York to join in creating and performing in ambitious works for the stage. Typically, Public Works productions play very limited engagements at the Delacorte, but, as previously announced, the Public Theater will bring back Twelfth Night as part of its 2018 Shakespeare in the Park mainstage summer season. The production will mark the first time the Public has presented a full-length run of a Public Works show; Nikki M. James, Andrew Kober, Jacob Ming-Trent, and creator Shaina Taub will all reprise their roles from the original staging.
“I'm thrilled that TMC will help bring my musical adaptations of these timeless plays to many more communities and audiences over the years,” said Shaina Taub. “I hope new ensembles will find as much power, delight and healing in the stories and songs as we did in our first productions with Public Works.”
“Working with Shaina on As You Like It has been a labor of love,” added Woolery, who serves as Public Works director. From the earliest moments of collaboration, we wanted to honor Shakespeare’s artistic impulse and create a piece that speaks to the current world we live in. We hope this musical will reconnect a new generation to how Shakespeare’s plays are relevant now more than ever.”
Interested professional groups should contact TMC Vice President of Professional Licensing Caroline Barnard at [email protected] or (212) 598-2251. Other groups should contact Vice President of Amateur Licensing Kim Rogers at [email protected] or (212) 598-2238.
