Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Stages As You Like It on the Boston Common This Summer
BU MFA Directing alum Bryn Boice (CFA'16) serves as the free show’s text coach
Bryn Boice (CFA’16) addressing the company of As You Like It. Photo by Dave Green
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company Stages As You Like It on the Boston Common This Summer
BU MFA Directing alum Bryn Boice (CFA’16) serves as the free show’s text coach
This article was originally published in BU Today on July 22, 2025. By Abigail Pritchard (COM’26)
EXCERPT
The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) is taking up its annual residence on the Boston Common this summer with a timely comedy—and it’s free. One of the city’s most beloved theater institutions, attracting roughly 50,000 people to its performances each year, the CSC is staging As You Like It from July 23 to August 10. The play’s story of finding community after exile by an authoritarian government makes it a fresh and relevant play to work on right now, says the production’s text coach Bryn Boice.
“It’s a comedy for summer,” says Boice (CFA’16), who holds an MFA in directing from the College of Fine Arts as well as a master’s certificate in arts administration from Metropolitan College. “And so, not only in terms of timeliness, but in terms of the romantic comedy spirit of the play, it felt like it was perfect for this moment this summer.”
It’s a comedy for summer. And so, not only in terms of timeliness, but in terms of the romantic comedy spirit of the play, it felt like it was perfect for this moment this summer.
The Shakespeare play, written in either 1599 or 1600, begins with its characters being exiled by a power-hungry ruler, leading them to find a new family and a new home. They also find freedom, wisdom, and love in this romantic comedy, which celebrates human nature and “the beauty of creating one’s own sanctuary, even in the face of great tyranny,” according to the show’s synopsis.
AS YOU LIKE IT
The show is free to the public, and spectators can bring snacks, blankets, and chairs or can rent a lawn chair for $10. For those who want a bougier experience, the Friends Section has premium seating available for a donation of $100 or more. Friends Section seats are right in front of the stage, although free seating is also available at the front.