San Jose Rep's As You Like It Marks Artistic Director's South Bay Debut

By Kenneth Jones
31 Aug 2009

San Jose Repertory Theatre's artistic director Rick Lombardo makes his San Jose directorial debut with Shakespeare's romantic comedy, As You Like It, opening Sept. 4 follow previews from Aug. 29. Performances continue to Sept. 27.

Lombardo said in a statement, "I've been inspired by Silicon Valley in putting this production together. With technology so omnipresent in our modern lives, I'm even more fascinated by Shakespeare's theme of the power of nature to heal the heart and the soul, and his notion of the necessity of a return to 'older virtues' to nourish our lives. I love the fact that we'll be telling this story using some of the most advanced technology available for the stage, which will create a powerful and very, very modern feeling to the world of the play."

Lombardo is in his second season as artistic director of San Jose Rep. He was previously the artistic director for 13 years at the award-winning New Repertory Theatre in greater Boston. Last spring, he was awarded the Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence from the Boston Theatre Critics Association for his work at New Rep. He has also been the recipient of four individual Elliot Norton Awards and is a nine-time winner of the IRNE award.

Returning to San Jose Rep's stage for As You Like It are Anna Bullard (Rosalind), James Carpenter (Jaques/Old Adam), Steve Irish (Touchstone), Craig Marker (Charles/Silvius), Andy Murray (Duke Senior/Duke Frederick/Corin) and Adam Yazbeck (Oliver). Making their San Jose Repertory Theatre debuts are Jayne Deely (Phebe), Blake Ellis (Orlando), Cristi Miles (Celia), Sepideh Moafi (Audrey/Amiens), Alexander Prather (LeBeau/William) and Jonathan Shue (Dennis/Martext/Jaques de Boys).

The production team includes David Lee Cuthbert (media and scenic designer), B. Modern (costume designer), Dan Meekers (lighting designer), Haddon Givens Kime (original music and sound designer), Dave Maier (fight director), Amanda Folena (movement consultant) and Laxmi Kumaran (stage manager).

Tickets are available at the San Jose Rep box office at 101 Paseo de San Antonio, in San Jose, CA, or can be purchased online at www.SJRep.com or by calling (408) 367-7255.

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San Jose Rep is the major non-profit, professional theatre company in the South Bay, presenting six main stage productions each year.