Shakespeare’s As You Like It begins with a banishment. Exiled to the Forest of Arden, the Duke Senior finds himself liberated. “And this our life, exempt from public haunt / Finds tongues in trees, books in running brooks, / Sermons in stones, and good in everything.” In the forest—free of “painted pomp” and “the envious court”—hijinx and harmony abound. The ultimate romantic comedy, this classic is full of disguises and gender reversals, both of which lead to deeper self-discovery and truer love. In the Forest of Arden, the wrongs of the real world are righted. Directed by Kimberley Sykes, the production playfully advances Shakespeare’s bucolic world with musical accompaniment, puppetry, and more. —C.J.F.