Audience Participation Shakespeare

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Stratford, Ontario, Canada, a weekend of really excellent theater made even more fun by the fact that this year I took my oldest grandchild.  I hope this will be the first of four years spent with my four grandchildren taking one each year to experience truly outstanding theater.  You know they're doing something right when a 15 year old boy comes away from the weekend saying that the Shakespeare play "As You Like It" was his favorite of the weekend. I have seen a fair number of Shakespeare plays in my life, including "As You Like It" but I knew that this production would be special when each patron was instructed to pick up a goody bag on our way in to the theater.  The next clue was being told that the scene for this play was Newfoundland in 1985, followed by a rousing ethnic dance demonstration (which looked a lot like square dancing to me). Throughout the performance, which was the actual Shakespeare play, but with much physical comedy, we were instructed how to use the props in our bags.  The green branches (imagine artificial Christmas tree branches) were waved enthusiastically on cue and became the forest of Arden. The blue folding fans, when unfurled and waved, became the water lapping against the shore.  Some people near the front had little orange glow lights which became the fire over which the actors roasted marshmallows. Some of us were given green crepe paper crowns which became the grassy meadow when we in the lower seats put them on.  People in the higher seats had pale blue crowns - the sky.  They also had stars that they could turn on to illuminate the starry night. At one point a large florescent rabbit was passed through part of the audience to be hunted by one of the actors. Later a similarly glowing whale swam through another section. All in all, the most hilarious Shakespeare I've ever been involved with.  I think the bard would have been pleased.