ALTOONA – Feuding brothers! Cross-dressing! Love at first sight! Shakespeare’s comedy, “As You Like It,” will be presented by the Nittany Valley Shakespeare Company at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7.
The free performance will take place in the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. The performance features two Penn State Altoona characters: Caitlin Osborne, instructor of dance and theatre arts and recent alumna Stacie Marie Walter.
The pair plays the “pastoral lovers” and provides comic relief to an already comedic romp. Silvius, the long-suffering shepherd, faithfully dogs his beloved Phebe’s steps, while she pursues young Ganymede, who is really a girl disguised as a man.
Osborne said, “It’s a rare treat to work with a former student in this way. I never had the opportunity to act with Stacie while she was in school, so I’m delighted to see her back to Altoona’s stage.”
For her part, Walter finds the situation both odd and humorous. “It’s like I never left. But, really, I’m enjoying being on the other side of graduation. I’m getting a different perspective on theatre and seeing my old professor in a new light.”
Nittany Valley Shakespeare Company was founded in 2008 with a simple mission: to communicate the great stories of the theatre in ways that are both theatrically innovative and faithful to the text. The production is directed by Elaine Meder-Wilgus, a State College native whose directing credits include work for Next Stage Theatre, State College Community Theatre and the State Theatre. More information about the company, its mission and its programs can be found at www.shakespearefestival.us.
Free tickets are available at the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday – Thursday and before and during all performances. For further information, call 814-949-5452 or visit the Penn State Altoona Web site at www.altoona.psu.edu.
