As You Like It - The Whole Pack Theatre Interview

“Do you not know I am a woman? When I think, I must speak.”

In a world where singing is banned and love is forbidden, the Forest of Arden provides a haven for outlaws to revel in a creative rebellion where love blossoms on every branch. Joy, silliness and mischief combine in this exuberantly chaotic celebration of art, love and nature. 

Jessamy James as Jacques

An all-female cast brings this world to life with sumptuous music and jubilant energy. A show to bring us back to what it means to be human. 

The Whole Pack Theatre, founded in 2024, is a theatre company whose primary goal is to afford women the opportunity to bring something dazzling and daring to traditional Shakespearean roles. Following their inaugural five-star production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, OffFest-nominated run of Richard II at The Camden Fringe, and a successful tour of The Tempest, they are back with another touring production to delight audiences across England this summer.

We caught up with the founders and creative team members: Jessamy James, Mary Anne Coleman, Megan Carter and Meghan Louise Taylor.

What can you tell me about your production of As You Like It?

Jessamy James (JJ): At its heart, this production is about getting back to what makes being human worth it: art, music, companionship, humour, connection with our environment and, of course, love. As with all Whole Pack shows, we have a small but mighty cast of women, who all play multiple roles. It’s high-energy, joyful and bursting with song.

How do you manage the dual perspective of being in the moment on stage while simultaneously keeping an eye on the overarching shape and pacing of the production?

JJ: This has always been something of a challenge as both an actor and a director. We work very collaboratively, and my fellow cast members are invaluable in providing an outside eye when I’m in a scene. Sometimes we will film a scene, so I can watch it back from a more removed perspective. But generally in rehearsals I try to hold both perspectives simultaneously, as far as possible.

The dystopian premise, a world where singing and love are outlawed, adds a sharp edge to Shakespeare's court. What specific directing choices did you make to ensure the contrast between the cold, restricted court and the chaotic freedom of Arden feels visceral for the audience?

JJ: Some of this contrast comes from using colour: we see a lot more black in the court, while there is a lot more colour in the forest. But mostly it is in the acting. Our characters behave very differently in the court and in the forest. Most of the court characters end up in the forest, and it invariably changes them in deep and irrevocable ways. During rehearsals we’ve used movement exercises to explore our characters’ behaviour in these different environments, and the ways they are changed when they enter the forest. 

As You Like It famously plays with gender fluidity (with Rosalind disguising herself as Ganymede). How does directing and performing this with an all-female cast alter or deepen the play’s exploration of gender, power, and identity?

Megan Carter (MC): As a performer, the role of Rosalind is already so juicy for exploring gender fluidity - what does a “man” look like to Rosalind, and how does she perform as one? What elements of being disguised are uncomfortable for her, and what elements does she enjoy? How much of Ganymede is a performance of masculinity, and is any part of it a new facet of her identity she’s finally getting to explore? Then performing with an all-female cast adds another layer on top, because so many actors within the company are having similar journeys with the characters they’re playing onstage. The whole company, as well as the audience, are “in on the joke” of all these multilayered levels of gender identity and performance.

The Full Company.

The production is described as an exuberantly chaotic celebration. How do you build a backstage structure that allows for that wild, joyful spontaneity on stage while keeping a touring show running safely and smoothly? 

MC: 

The collaborative nature of our process builds both that playfulness and that care into our work from the very first rehearsal. We always have fun, we always support each other, we always keep each other safe. And it’s cyclical, because our commitment to looking after each other and helping each other means we have the freedom to express and play in the rehearsal room. So by the time we start to tour, that’s all second nature.

Wearing both the creative hat of the Designer and the logistical hat of the Stage Manager is a massive undertaking. How do these two roles influence each other during the rehearsal process and out on tour?
Mary Anne Coleman (MAC): In rehearsals, the two hats do bicker a bit! The designer in me wishes we had a bigger budget to create more amazing, magical atmospheres, as a Stage Manager, I'm always thinking about how things happen — the time frame, the logistics, keeping everyone on track - what's realistic. The design is very much a team effort from the outset. This is one of the many great things about our communication as a company - I can read the design notes in the script and immediately get a feel for what needs to happen. Even when I turn up with an ad-hoc lighting system, everyone jumps in to make it work.

On tour it's the SM role that's steering me most of the time; looking after the company, keeping an eye on the clock, making sure everyone has everything they need. But having an overview of the design means when something goes wrong or a venue can't quite deliver what we need, I can deal with it confidently rather than just firefighting. Ultimately, this creates less stress - it lets the actors create the magic that makes our performances so special.

In a world where singing is banned, every note struck in the Forest of Arden becomes an act of political defiance. How did this concept influence the genre, tone, and arrangement of the sumptuous music you’ve composed or directed for the show?

Meghan Louise Taylor (MLT): First, I have to give credit to our director, Jessamy James. Every single show The Whole Pack has produced (until Macbeth) has had music chosen and shaped by her ideas and then brought to life by our collaboration together.

Regarding As You Like It, my opinions on what shapes this music might be different to hers as we each composed various pieces as underscores to Shakespeare’s, Rudyard Kipling’s, and our own lyrics for the first time alongside the usual arrangements of folk songs. However, to me, one of the truths of reality is that Art is a reflection of its time.

In today’s political climate with blind nationalism and fascism rearing their ugly heads, censorship creeping in, and division more prominent across the world, people turn to art for entertainment and escape- but also for rest, reinvigoration and hope.

Folk music has always been a storytelling genre filled with political commentary, tales of woe, historical happenings, fairytales, revolutionary dissent, and hope for a better life; so it makes sense that our songs for As You Like It reflect this and build a world of hopeful rebellion. If art is defiance, what better genre than folk? And if the work in our art is a reflection not only of the world of Arden but our own, how amazing we got to explore creating some of it from scratch!

How do you navigate the moments where your character shifts from the spoken text of Shakespeare into the musical numbers? How does the music act as an extension of the character's internal emotional rebellion?

JJ: Shakespeare’s language – whether verse or prose (and there is a lot of prose in As You Like It) – has an intrinsic musicality to it. The rhythms, rhymes and playful use of sound in the words are a ready laid springboard into song, so it feels very natural to shift from speaking into singing.

In court, our characters use music and creativity in defiance of the status quo. Rosalind plays her harp when she is thinking about Orlando. Orlando meanwhile is attempting to compose poetry for Rosalind. Perhaps the starkest example of this is the moment when Celia stands up to her father in order to defend Rosalind: her ultimate tool of disobedience is defiant singing in the duke’s face.

As the four co-founders of Wholepack Theatre, what was the initial spark that made you say, "We need to tackle As You Like It, and we need to do it right now, this summer"?

MC: Our touring model places a large emphasis on reaching a wider audience. In addition to more traditional venues, we also perform at village halls and community centres in tiny villages, bringing Shakespeare to remote communities who rarely have access to live theatre. Our take on As You Like It, the premise of human connection through art and song, felt like the perfect way to dramatise this principle. Aside from that, it felt like the right kind of artistic challenge for our fourth production, as we grow as a company. This play has tons of songs in it, providing lots of opportunities for our resident musical director Meghan (as well as allowing Jessamy to compose for us for the first time). It has lots of prose, which is on the edge of my personal comfort zone as a performer. And we love a challenge!

Caroline Cromwell as Touchstone and Catriona Trainer as Celia

Your show description highlights bringing audiences back to what it means to be human. After the last few years of global upheaval, what is it about art, nature, and raw silliness that you think audiences are craving most right now?

JJ: I think we are all needing connection. Theatre as an art form is uniquely physical, rooted in a specific space and time and demands presence in a way that no other art form does. In a digital world, this is remarkable. Being together, with a shared focus in a shared physical space, engaging collaboratively in the creative act of believing in a story is a powerful experience in connection. Creating art is such a deeply human thing, that it horrifies me to think that this is something we might ever pass over to AI. We need the right to write bad poetry: Orlando’s verses are clumsy, but they are human. Connection with nature is vital too. Aside from the fact that when we disconnect from our natural environment we endanger our own future as a species, on a more immediate level, engaging with nature reminds us that we are a part of nature, and it can become a small, quiet rebellion in itself to know that no one is profiting from the attention you pay to a tree. As for silliness, what could be more human? Humour and playfulness connects us all on a fundamental level, and the silliness that Shakespeare’s audiences enjoyed have travelled through time to connect with us today.

You are taking this show on tour this summer—including stops at historic outdoor spaces like the Epidaurus Court at Soulton Hall. How do you anticipate the real-world nature and unpredictable summer weather interacting with a play that is entirely about the healing power of the forest? 

MC: Duke Senior has this whole speech in the play about how exposure to cold and elements in the forest has made him realize how alive he is. One of my favourite things about outdoor theatre is the unpredictable nature of it. Particularly in working on a show both as a producer and as a performer - as a producer, I sit behind my laptop and do spreadsheets and try to plan and control, and then as a performer I have to accept (and revel in) the fact that I really can’t control a lot of what happens onstage. It might be hot or it might rain or be windy (or maybe all of the above), but that’s all part of the joy of experiencing and reacting and letting the play be alive.

Shakespearean comedy can sometimes be treated with academic reverence, but your production promises "joy, silliness, and mischief." How did you cultivate a rehearsal room environment that allowed the cast to access that uninhibited, chaotic energy?

JJ: Part of this begins during the casting process. We look for actors who are not only skilled performers, but those who come with an open mind and heart, a team spirit and a willingness to play. Once rehearsals start, it’s really important to us that our actors are comfortable and feel able to explore without judgment, and we strive to create an atmosphere of openness, collaboration and support. We also use games in rehearsal to foster playfulness and group bonding. 

What keeps you inspired?

MC: I think a lot of the same is true for all of us - we all love to work with different people and in different contexts that keep us creatively fueled. This summer Mary Anne is on tour with British Touring Shakespeare alongside our shows; Jessamy has performed a one-woman show at Brighton Fringe; Meghan will be performing with Summer Theatre of Canaan in the USA; and I’m performing in a continuing drama/soap opera live onstage. We’re also hugely inspired by the people we work with, and love to go see Whole Pack alumni in their own shows. Also, for me, I love to learn (about Shakespeare and also just new stuff in general!). Recently I attended a lecture about the queer history of folklore, and Jessamy and I watched a virtual talk about Macbeth and its possible connections to fairy stories.

As You Like It opens at The Libra Theatre Cafe on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June 2026. It tours until 30th September 2026. For dates and venues visit https://wholepack.wixsite.com/wholepack/as-you-like-it

Jasmine McHayle as Orlando and Megan Carter as Rosalind