The Vallejo Shakespeare- in the Park Presentation of AS YOU LIKE IT

Last Friday, I attended Dodie's Shakespeare in the Park Performance of "AS You Like IT"at the Vino GodFather Winery Backyard in Mare Island, Vallejo, California. 

This is Dodie's fourth season with Vallejo Shakespeare. His previous shows include, The Tempest( Boatswain), Hamlet ( Polonius), and Winter's tale ( Shepard). Since his retirement from the Contra Costa County Prosecutor's Office in 2020, his other shows include Christmas Carol (Bob Crotchet), Sweat (Evan), Fences ( Jim Bono), The Musical ( Felipe Valenzuela), Willy Wonka (Grandpa George), and Chicago ( Fogarty). Between acting gigs, Dodie and wife Ruth travel the world. 

Dodie is my oldest son. He worked for the Contra Costa County Prosecutor's Office for more than 25 years prior to his retirement in 2020.  Besides his acting talent, Dodie can sing and play the guitar. 

Here are some photos Ruth and I took during the performance.   

Established in 2010 by Vallejo resident Dalia Vidor, Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park produces one live Shakespearean production each summer presented in outdoor settings free to communities around the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park presents an annual play where residents of all ages and economic backgrounds are invited to come together for free professional outdoor theater. Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park has performed in Vallejo, Crockett, Martinez, Oakland, Piedmont, and Benicia. Our aim is to provide an inspiring and educational live theater experience for our audience through intensive preparation and high quality performance, and broaden horizons and enrich the lives of local residents through a free classical outdoor theater performance. Our casts are made up of multi-ethnic actors of various backgrounds and experience levels. Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park also aims to provide professional performance opportunities to Bay Area actors of color, various gender identity, and women through non-traditional casting. We want our productions to reflect the community in which they are performed and help our audience connect to classical theater with exciting contemporary staging. We present a “bare-bones” production, concentrating on the actor’s performances and honest storytelling, with minimal set and modern dress. 

 

We believe the arts are an important part of the fabric of a community and we want to do our part to ensure a thriving arts environment and help raise the value of the arts as a public benefit. 

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Vallejo Shakespeare in the Park is fiscally sponsored by the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD).

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Meanwhile, Shakespeare’s As You Like It (first performed around 1599) is filled with witty exchanges, reflections on love and life, and some of his most-quoted lines. Here are some of the most popular verses, quotes, and soliloquies from the play:

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🌿 Most Famous Passages

1. “All the world’s a stage” (Act II, Scene VII)
   Perhaps the most quoted speech in the play, spoken by Jacques:

   All the world’s a stage,
   And all the men and women merely players;
   They have their exits and their entrances;
   And one man in his time plays many parts…
   (He then describes the "seven ages of man": infant, schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, old age, and second childishness.)

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2. “Sweet are the uses of adversity” (Act II, Scene I)
   Duke Senior, living in exile in the Forest of Arden, reflects:

   Sweet are the uses of adversity,
   Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
   Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.
   (This expresses the theme of finding wisdom and happiness even in hardship.)

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3. “Blow, blow, thou winter wind” (Act II, Scene VII)
   A song that highlights human ingratitude:

   Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
   Thou art not so unkind
   As man’s ingratitude;
   Thy tooth is not so keen,
   Because thou art not seen,
   Although thy breath be rude…

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💘 On Love & Courtship

4. Rosalind on Love (Act III, Scene V)
   Rosalind, disguised as Ganymede, says:

   Love is merely a madness; and, I tell you, deserves as well a dark house and a whip as madmen do; and the reason why they are not so punished and cured is, that the lunacy is so ordinary that the whippers are in love too.

5. Touchstone the Clown on Marriage (Act III, Scene III)
   Touchstone’s comic pragmatism:

   As the ox hath his bow, sir, the horse his curb, and the falcon her bells, so man hath his desires; and as pigeons bill, so wedlock would be nibbling.

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🌲 Philosophical & Reflective

6. “True is it that we have seen better days” (Act II, Scene VII)

   True is it that we have seen better days,
   And have with holy bell been knolled to church;
   And sat at good men’s feasts; and wiped our eyes
   Of drops that sacred pity hath engender’d…

7. On Time and Change (Act III, Scene II)
   Rosalind (as Ganymede) speaks of love’s stages:

   Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love.

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🎭 Witty & Playful

8. Touchstone on the Court vs. the Country (Act III, Scene II)

   When I was at home, I was in a better place: but travellers must be content.

9. Celia to Rosalind (Act I, Scene II)

   I like this place, and willingly could waste my time in it.

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✅ In summary:

• Jacques’s “All the world’s a stage” is the most famous soliloquy.

• Duke Senior’s “Sweet are the uses of adversity” shows Shakespeare’s love of nature.

• Songs like “Blow, blow, thou winter wind” capture the lyrical beauty of the play.

• Rosalind’s speeches sparkle with wit about love and identity.

Finally, here are 50 EXAMPLES OF METAPHOR

Metaphor is a figure of speech that says one thing is another to highlight a shared quality or create vivid imagery—without using “like” or “as.”

1. Time is a thief – It steals moments from us.

2. The world is a stage – Life is performance with roles.

3. He has a heart of stone – He’s emotionally cold.

4. Her voice is music – Pleasing and harmonious to hear.

5. The classroom was a zoo – Chaotic and noisy.

6. Ideas are seeds – They can grow into bigger things.

7. Books are windows – They let us see new worlds.

8. Hope is a light – It guides in dark times.

9. Fear is a shadow – It follows and dims experience.

10. Life is a journey – Ongoing travel with milestones.

11. An argument is war – Attack, defense, and strategy.

12. My memory is a sieve – It lets details slip through.

13. The city is a jungle – Dense, competitive, and wild.

14. His words were daggers – They hurt sharply.

15. Her smile was sunshine – Warmth and joy radiate.

16. The mind is a computer – It processes and stores data.

17. The internet is a highway – Fast routes connecting places.

18. His eyes were ice – Cold and unfeeling.

19. The news was a bombshell – Sudden, shocking impact.

20. She’s a night owl – Active and alert at night.

21. He’s a rock – Reliable and steady support.

22. He has a green thumb – Naturally good at gardening.

23. The exam was a breeze – It felt easy.

24. Time is money – Time has practical value.

25. The law is a shield – It offers protection.

26. Children are sponges – They absorb information quickly.

27. Love is a battlefield – Struggle, risk, and courage.

28. Laughter is medicine – It heals and lifts mood.

29. The moon is a lantern – Gentle light in darkness.

30. Their home is a prison – Feels confining and restrictive.

31. The crowd was a sea – Vast, moving mass of people.

32. Rumors are wildfire – They spread rapidly and destructively.

33. Silence is a blanket – It covers everything quietly.

34. Tears are diamonds – Precious and glistening in pain.

35. Words are bridges – They connect people and ideas.

36. Curiosity is a fire – It drives exploration and learning.

37. Anger is a storm – Turbulent and explosive.

38. Dreams are maps – They point toward desired futures.

39. Grief is a wave – It rises, crashes, and recedes.

40. Secrets are time bombs – Hidden, with sudden consequences.

41. Knowledge is power – It enables action and influence.

42. Hope is a feather – Light, persistent uplift.

43. Friendship is a garden – Needs tending to flourish.

44. Memory is a trail – Footprints leading back to the past.

45. Fame is a flame – Bright but dangerous and brief.

46. Poverty is a cage – Limits movement and opportunity.

47. Bureaucracy is a maze – Confusing paths and dead ends.

48. Data is the new oil – Valuable raw resource powering systems.

49. Silence is a canvas – Space where meaning can be painted.

50. Creativity is a muscle – It strengthens with regular use.

#learnenglishwithteacheraubrey

My Favorites are Numbers 2, 7, 22, 28, 35, 41, 43 and 50.  What are yours?