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AS YOU LIKE IT
by William Shakespeare

DRAMATIS PERSONAE

AT THE DUCHESS’ COURT

Duchess Frederick, usurper of her older brother
Marylee Williams 

Celia, daughter of Frederick
Riley Tate

Rosalind, her cousin, daughter of the banished Duke
Emma Brown Baker

Oliver, older son of Roland de Boys
Bob Colbert

Orlando, younger son of Roland de Boys
Desmon Jackson

Touchstone, a fool
Jonathan Heidenreich

Charles, the Duchess’ wrestler
Calvin Brookins

Le Beau, a courtier
Anna Parsons

IN THE FOREST OF ARDEN

Duke Senior, the banished Duke
Robert Scott

Jacques, lord exiled with the Duke
John Henry Steelman

Silvius, a young shepherd
Nathan Wagner

Phebe, the shepherdess Silvius loves
Betsy Novotny

Audrey, a goat-herdess
Kaitlin A. Kerr-Heidenreich

ABOUT THE SHOW

Duke Senior has been forced into exile from the court by his sister, the usurping Duchess Frederick. He takes refuge in the Forest of Arden with a band of faithful lords. Rosalind, his daughter, is kept uneasily at court as a companion to her cousin Celia, Frederick’s daughter.

Meanwhile, Orlando, the youngest son of the late Sir Rowland de Boys, has been kept in poverty by his brother Oliver since their father’s death. Orlando decides to wrestle for his fortune at Frederick’s court against Charles the renowned wrestler. At the match, Orlando meets Rosalind and they fall in love.

The Duchess banishes Rosalind, fearing that her niece is a threat to her rule. Celia, refusing to be parted from her cousin, goes with Rosalind to seek Duke Senior in the Forest. For safety, they disguise themselves — Rosalind as a boy named Ganymede and Celia as his sister Aliena — and they persuade the fool Touchstone to accompany them along with Charles, now banished for his wrestling loss.

Orlando learns of a plot by his brother to kill him and  flees to the Forest taking refuge with the exiled Duke. Still thinking on Rosalind, he begins posting love poems through the forest. Before long, he encounters her, but she is disguised as Ganymede. She proceeds to coach Orlando on how to woo his Rosalind, offering to play the part of Rosalind herself.

Elsewhere in the Forest, Touchstone pursues Audrey, a goat-herdess, and is himself pursued by Jaques, a melancholy lord, who is fascinated by the fool. Meanwhile, the shepherd, Silvius, dotes on his neighbor Phebe, who has fallen for Ganymede (Rosalind in disguise).

Meanwhile, Oliver has been sent to hunt down his brother and arrives in the Forest, where Orlando saves his life from a lion. Oliver repents his past abuse of Orlando and promptly falls in love with Aliena (Celia in disguise).

As Ganymede, Rosalind promises to satisfy Orlando’s longing and to resolve all of the love plots in one flourish. She does so, forsaking her disguise, reuniting with her father and joining at last with young Orlando.

Le Beau arrives from the court, bringing news that Duchess Frederick has had a conversion and renounced the Dukedom, so the exiles can return to civilization and their former lives.

(Royal Shakespeare Company)

MEET THE CAST AND CREW

(listed alphabetically by last name)

Emma Brown Baker (Rosalind): Emma is delighted to be in her first play with Poor Yorick’s Players! She is an artist and therapist passionate about the intersection of healing and storytelling. Emma holds a Bachelor’s of Music Performance and a Master’s in Counseling Psychology. She last performed as part of The Tempest at Seattle Repertory Theater Public Works. She sends buckets of gratitude to friends and family who have loved her all the way to the theater and back.

Calvin Brookins (Charles): Calvin has been involved with acting since 2019, but really became involved in theatre for three years now. To name a few of the recent productions that Calvin was involved in are Pride and Prejudice (Charles Bingley) for Pittsburgh Savoyards, Dearly Beloved (Justin Waverly) for Pendeminer Productions, and Miserable Creatures (Byron) for The Rage of The Stage Players. This is his second show with Yorick after recently being a part of Love’s Labour’s Lost (Dumaine). Calvin is very excited for this show and wants everyone to enjoy it as much as he enjoys being a part of it. Every performance for this show is for Sunny.

Bob Colbert (Oliver) Bob is thrilled to be taking part in another production with Poor Yorick’s Players, having appeared in The Tempest, Timon of Athens, Comedy of Errors, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night, and Love’s Labour’s Lost. Bob has also performed with such Pittsburgh theater companies as Steel City Shakespeare Center, Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, and Gemini Children’s Theatre. At Gemini, Bob performs in both their mainstage shows and their field trip/school outreach program. Enjoy the show!

Jonathan Heidenreich (Touchstone): Jonathan is elated to be returning to Tall Trees this summer to complete his 3rd season with the wonderful artists that are Poor Yorick’s Players, and to help bring to life his favorite of Shakespeare’s Comedies! Jonathan is a classical actor, director, published poet, and English educator from Pittsburgh, PA. Jonathan has been performing/directing Shakespeare exclusively for over 12 years with many of the classical companies of the region. Some notable roles with Yorick have included Much Ado About Nothing (Benedick), King Lear (Edmund), and recently Love’s Labour’s Lost (Don Armado). Jonathan is the founder of the regional Shakespeare co. Food for Groundlings which he manages alongside his brilliant wife (and castmate) Kaitlin A. Kerr-Heidenreich. Jonathan would like to thank the phenomenal cast, crew, and director for their support and art, and his wife Kaitlin whom he met on this very stage 6 years ago.

Desmon Jackson (Orlando): Desmon is a Pittsburgh native and glad to be back with another Shakespeare show with Poor Yorick’s Players! He is currently a rising senior at Point Park University for musical theatre (co’ 2025)! Recent credits include: Love’s Labour’s Lost, Period Piece, Intimate Apparel, Sense & Sensibility, & Cinderella! He’d like to thank everyone for their contribution to the show and for inviting him back!

Kaitlin A. Kerr-Heidenreich (Audrey): Kaitlin is a Pittsburgh native actor, director, intimacy director, and published poet. Kaitlin is a disabled artist and activist and works part time as a disability nurse educator. She holds degrees in English Literature and Nursing. Poor Yorick’s Players is Kaitlin’s first home in theatre and the company and its artists are very dear to her. Kaitlin is also the co-President of the Shakespeare Company Food for Groundlings for whom she has directed two Shakespearean audio dramas. She also looks forward to directing Macbeth this fall for The Heritage Players! Favorite past acting roles include Othello (Emilia),  The Mousetrap (Mollie Ralston), and King Lear (Goneril), among many others (mostly in Shakespeare). Favorite intimacy choreography / directing credits include: Radium Girls (The Heritage Players), Romeo and Juliet & Julius Caesar (Youth Shakespeare Society of Pittsburgh), and The Wedding Singer (East Allegheny High School). Offstage, Kaitlin enjoys resting at home with her husband, Jonathan Heidenreich, and their 4 cats, as well as reading and watering plants.

 

Betsy Novotny (Phebe, Costume Designer): Betsy is pleased as punch to return Poor Yorick’s Players! She is a BFA graduate of Clarion University. Her previous Yorick credits include The Comedy of Errors (Dromio of Syracuse), The Merchant of Venice (Nerissa), and Twelfth Night (Clown). Love to the Fam, the cats, and Darling.

Anna Parsons (Le Beau): Anna is elated to be a part of her second Poor Yorick’s Players production! Earlier this summer, she was in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Maria). Anna is a rising junior at Wright State University where she is earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. Some of her recent credits at Wright State include Little Women (Marmee), By the Bog of Cats (Mrs. Kilbride u/s),The Liar (Dorante u/s), and The Little Mermaid (Andrina) at the Comtra Theatre. She would like to thank Julie, Betsy, Mars, the cast, and crew for an amazing experience! She hopes you enjoy As You Like It!

Robert Scott (Duke Senior): This is Robert’s fifth production with Poor Yorick’s Players and he is thrilled to be back. He has previously appeared with them in Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Tempest, Measure for Measure and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has been active in the local arts and entertainment scene for over 25 years as a screenwriter, playwright, poet, actor, director and producer. He is thrilled to be part of this production. Many thanks to Yorick, Julie, this amazing cast and crew, and you, our audience.

John Henry Steelman (Jaques): John Henry has been in nine previous Yorick productions, including the title roles of King Lear and Henry IV, Part 2. He also directed Measure for Measure here a couple years ago. Favorite Shakespearean roles performed elsewhere include Twelfth Night (Feste) with Hobnob Theatre and Indiana Players, 20 years apart, Macbeth (Duncan) with PICT, and Much Ado About Nothing (Leonato) with South Park. He and his wife, Sara, also coach the Indiana Player’s Shakespeare Team, which competes in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s annual Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest.

Riley Tate (Celia): Riley is ecstatic to be back in the park with Yorick. She recently received her Master’s Degree at Mary Baldwin University in conjunction with the American Shakespeare Center, where you could see her in Pericles, Prince of Tyre (Gower), The Rover (Florinda), and Dr. Faustus (Wagner/Chorus). Other notable roles include Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice/Claudio/Dogberry) and Twelfth Night or What You Will (Andrew/Sebastian) for NRTC, Jersey Boys (Mary) for StageRight!, Kinky Boots (Nicola) for ShenanArts, The Wild Party (Kate) for CCAC South), and The Merchant of Venice (Portia) for Yorick. Later this year, you can see her performing in the New Works Festival in Program D. As a director, Riley has served as Assistant Director to Stephanie Holladay Earl for The American Shakespeare Center’s production of A Christmas Carol. Riley would like to thank her family, boyfriend, and cat for their unwavering support and love.

Nathan Wagner (Silvius): Nathan is a theatre artist, writer, and all around nerd. He has worked professionally as an actor, dramaturg, playwright, and theatre educator across the city and can most often be found at the New Hazlett Theater. When not on stage, Nathan enjoys running games of Dungeons & Dragons and cuddling with cats. He is excited to perform in his third show with Poor Yorick’s Players, having previously appeared in Twelfth Night (Antonio) and The Tempest (Gonzalo). He wishes the cast and crew all the best and hopes you enjoy the show!

Marylee Williams (Duchess Frederick): Marylee is thrilled to be in her second production on Yorick’s stage, appearing in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Sister Natalie) this spring. She grew up on stage in community theaters across the Deep South. She’s thrilled to bring her passion to the Pittsburgh area.

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Dana Babal (Producer, Sound): This summer, Dana celebrates his 46th full production of Shakespeare as he continues his quest to direct or act in every Shakespearean play (23 down, 14 to go)! Favorite theatrical productions include Hamlet, Man of La Mancha, Henry V, Sweeney Todd, R&G are Dead, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Winter’s Tale, and Jesus Christ Superstar. You can also find him across PA and OH hosting Broadway karaoke shows with his company, NonStop Broadway. Dana wishes to thank Julie for her constant support and the cast and crew for their hard work.

Julie Babal (Director): Julie is thrilled to return to the director’s chair for Yorick. Some favorite previous directorial efforts include Macbeth, Henry V, Much Ado about Nothing, and Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). She would like to thank her very talented cast for their efforts, as well as her right hand people: the crew. Most of all, she’d like to thank her husband, who dreamed of Shakespeare in the park and made it appear years ago. Enjoy the show!

Mars Hallman (Stage Manager): Mars is proud to stage manage his second production with Poor Yorick’s Players. He studied theatre production and stage management with Valdosta State University Theatre & Dance and the Tift Theatre for Performing Arts where he stage managed and crewed Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid, Lanford Wilson’s Book of Days, and Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty ballet. He thanks the wonderful cast of As You Like It and his family for their support.

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