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Friday, April 17, 2026
Elliot Page Will Introduce All-Trans Production of AS YOU LIKE IT in London
www.broadwayworld.com: A new production of Shakespeare's As You Like It will be performed in London this summer, featuring an entirely trans and non-binary cast. The production is presented by Trans What You Will Theatre and will run 22–24 July 2026 at The Space Theatre.
I thought that the idea of an entirely trans and non-binary cast would be an interesting perspective to uncover within this very old play, especially with the article I read a few weeks ago about Rosalind’s triplet disguise leading to the idea of the woods being a queer space. Unfortunately, the article spoke very little about the production or the theatre company, but rather served as a notice for an event happening in July. While I understand that the purpose of this article is to talk about the event happening in New York, I have to wonder how the article and the public perspective would be different if it talked a little more about the play. Like, why is Elliot Page (who 8 of the 10 paragraphs are dedicated to), involved aside from being a trans person in the public eye? Does this show mean something to him? What kinds of conversations are happening surrounding this play, and why is this something that someone felt empowered to broadcast in another city?
I am so excited about this. I'm very hopeful that I can see the live stream because it seems so fun. This Shakespeare play is a great opportunity for trans people to play interesting and nuanced roles. I don't think we should just be casting trans people in like trans roles obviously they should be there but also I want to be giving trans people all the roles, if they are auditioning for a role that is not trans like that is just as valuable of representation as is giving trans characters trans actors. It is unclear to me if the production teams behind the show and all of the work by this trans-led company are also trans people. I would hope so because it seems like it aligns well with their values to hire trans people in all roles. I am glad that is company is getting more attention because they are working with Eliott Page but I wonder if there is more behind that I am so excited about this. I'm very hopeful that I can see the live stream because it seems so fun. This Shakespeare play is a great opportunity for trans people to play interesting and nuanced roles. I don't think we should just be casting trans people in like trans roles obviously they should be there but also I want to be giving trans people all the roles, if they are auditioning for a role that is not trans like that is just as valuable of representation as is giving trans characters trans actors. It is unclear to me if the production teams behind the show and all of the work by this trans-led company are also trans people. I would hope so because it seems like it aligns well with their values to hire trans people in all roles. I think it is great that this company is getting more attention for this show because they are working with Elliot Page but I also wonder if there is more to the partnership that this article does not cover.
I saw a video about this on TikTok, and I am actually super excited about this! I read As You Like It in high school, and we had a lot of debates about the queer-coding of it all. I mean, the two of them get married AS MEN! And it seems very clear that even though it is a test, they do really fall in love in this weird Shakespearean way of explaining love. In my opinion, this is the perfect Shakespeare play to make into a queer/trans exclusive casting. It's already so coded into the show, and it's so easy to add something like that to a show with similar themes already. I also really love Elliot Page as both a performer and an advocate for transgender people being portrayed in the media, as his role in The Umbrella Academy was a really nice way to add that representation into his roles. I'd love to watch this livestream when it comes out, can't wait!
What an exciting production! I can't wait to watch the pro-shot. I wish more productions were intentional with their casting like this one. Gender-bending, doing shows with people of all one identity, etc. can bring out so many different nuances that wouldn't be there otherwise. It adds additional meaning to a text and can be a really cool experience for the creators. Going to an all girls high school all of our shows were mostly a female/non-binary cast. While being out of necessity it added a lot of other meanings to the productions that we did. Our production of the Tempest became an avenue for queer romance representation at a very conservative school. Our production of newsies was a protest to the admin who were trying to cut our drama program. Very excited to see this production!
This is the perfect Shakespeare play to have an all trans and non-binary cast. The play is literally centered around themes of identity and transformation. Like Rosalind literally presents a different gender throughout much of the story. The whole point is about performance and perception of identity. Having actors bring lived experiences to these themes will definitely make it more intentional. This also expands representation, especially in a field where there has historically been limited opportunities. Shakespearean works especially are usually done in a more confined and classical way, to the point where it is surprising to me when they cast people under the age of 30 to be in some adaptations of his works (not in a way that I disagree with, but just something I’ve noticed about the industry). I am excited to see how this classic text will be paired with modern perspectives on gender and how the ideas of identity have evolved.
I love when an actor who is part of a marginalized group uses their status and place in the world to lift up and make space for other members of the group. An all trans cast of “As You Like It” is really interesting to me because of the cross-dressing that happens in the show. I am curious as to how they are going to handle Rosalind cross dressing as a man because that could easily give the actor playing Rosalind dysphoria. However, I trust a cast full of trans and non-binary actors to support and help the actor with that. I am curious about the design/production team and if they are a group of trans/non-binary people too or if it is just the cast. Since trans and non-binary people come from all circles and walks of life, I hope that they are giving those opportunities to the production team behind the scenes as well and not just there for the actors.
6 comments:
I thought that the idea of an entirely trans and non-binary cast would be an interesting perspective to uncover within this very old play, especially with the article I read a few weeks ago about Rosalind’s triplet disguise leading to the idea of the woods being a queer space. Unfortunately, the article spoke very little about the production or the theatre company, but rather served as a notice for an event happening in July. While I understand that the purpose of this article is to talk about the event happening in New York, I have to wonder how the article and the public perspective would be different if it talked a little more about the play. Like, why is Elliot Page (who 8 of the 10 paragraphs are dedicated to), involved aside from being a trans person in the public eye? Does this show mean something to him? What kinds of conversations are happening surrounding this play, and why is this something that someone felt empowered to broadcast in another city?
I am so excited about this. I'm very hopeful that I can see the live stream because it seems so fun. This Shakespeare play is a great opportunity for trans people to play interesting and nuanced roles. I don't think we should just be casting trans people in like trans roles obviously they should be there but also I want to be giving trans people all the roles, if they are auditioning for a role that is not trans like that is just as valuable of representation as is giving trans characters trans actors. It is unclear to me if the production teams behind the show and all of the work by this trans-led company are also trans people. I would hope so because it seems like it aligns well with their values to hire trans people in all roles. I am glad that is company is getting more attention because they are working with Eliott Page but I wonder if there is more behind that I am so excited about this. I'm very hopeful that I can see the live stream because it seems so fun. This Shakespeare play is a great opportunity for trans people to play interesting and nuanced roles. I don't think we should just be casting trans people in like trans roles obviously they should be there but also I want to be giving trans people all the roles, if they are auditioning for a role that is not trans like that is just as valuable of representation as is giving trans characters trans actors. It is unclear to me if the production teams behind the show and all of the work by this trans-led company are also trans people. I would hope so because it seems like it aligns well with their values to hire trans people in all roles. I think it is great that this company is getting more attention for this show because they are working with Elliot Page but I also wonder if there is more to the partnership that this article does not cover.
I saw a video about this on TikTok, and I am actually super excited about this! I read As You Like It in high school, and we had a lot of debates about the queer-coding of it all. I mean, the two of them get married AS MEN! And it seems very clear that even though it is a test, they do really fall in love in this weird Shakespearean way of explaining love. In my opinion, this is the perfect Shakespeare play to make into a queer/trans exclusive casting. It's already so coded into the show, and it's so easy to add something like that to a show with similar themes already. I also really love Elliot Page as both a performer and an advocate for transgender people being portrayed in the media, as his role in The Umbrella Academy was a really nice way to add that representation into his roles. I'd love to watch this livestream when it comes out, can't wait!
What an exciting production! I can't wait to watch the pro-shot. I wish more productions were intentional with their casting like this one. Gender-bending, doing shows with people of all one identity, etc. can bring out so many different nuances that wouldn't be there otherwise. It adds additional meaning to a text and can be a really cool experience for the creators. Going to an all girls high school all of our shows were mostly a female/non-binary cast. While being out of necessity it added a lot of other meanings to the productions that we did. Our production of the Tempest became an avenue for queer romance representation at a very conservative school. Our production of newsies was a protest to the admin who were trying to cut our drama program. Very excited to see this production!
This is the perfect Shakespeare play to have an all trans and non-binary cast. The play is literally centered around themes of identity and transformation. Like Rosalind literally presents a different gender throughout much of the story. The whole point is about performance and perception of identity. Having actors bring lived experiences to these themes will definitely make it more intentional. This also expands representation, especially in a field where there has historically been limited opportunities. Shakespearean works especially are usually done in a more confined and classical way, to the point where it is surprising to me when they cast people under the age of 30 to be in some adaptations of his works (not in a way that I disagree with, but just something I’ve noticed about the industry). I am excited to see how this classic text will be paired with modern perspectives on gender and how the ideas of identity have evolved.
I love when an actor who is part of a marginalized group uses their status and place in the world to lift up and make space for other members of the group. An all trans cast of “As You Like It” is really interesting to me because of the cross-dressing that happens in the show. I am curious as to how they are going to handle Rosalind cross dressing as a man because that could easily give the actor playing Rosalind dysphoria. However, I trust a cast full of trans and non-binary actors to support and help the actor with that. I am curious about the design/production team and if they are a group of trans/non-binary people too or if it is just the cast. Since trans and non-binary people come from all circles and walks of life, I hope that they are giving those opportunities to the production team behind the scenes as well and not just there for the actors.
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