Pitt Stages, the in-house theatre company of the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Pittsburgh, will conclude its 2024-2025 season with a musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” a comedy that explores themes of love, identity, and community. The show will run April 4 to 13 at Pitt’s Charity Randall Theatre.

This version of “As You Like It,” written and adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery, is a musical in one act based on the original play by William Shakespeare. The show premiered in 2017 as part of Public Theatre’s Public Works program in New York City. It was named one of The New York Times’s “Best Shows of 2017" and Critic’s Picks.

Tony-winning composer Taub is making her mark on the Pittsburgh theatre scene this spring. In addition to Pitt Stages’ production, Pittsburgh Public Theatre will be producing Taub’s musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” in June.

Tom Pacio, a visiting assistant professor at Pitt, will direct “As You Like It.” This is Pacio’s first time directing a Pitt Stages production as a faculty member. He completed his MFA in performance pedagogy at Pitt in 2010. The show is performed and produced by Pitt students, faculty and staff. 

At the heart of the show is the forest of Arden where the heroes and heroines converge after a series of escapes, pursuits and disguised shenanigans. Originally a destination for refuge, the forest soon reveals a space in which the characters discover a community of transformational love where all are welcomed and accepted.

Tickets are $15 to $25 and are available online.