NYU Florence - Aminta As You Like It, or, The Audreyad: An Eco-Fable

NYU Florence - Spring 2025 performance by the La Pietra Players: "Aminta As YOU Like It or The Audreyad: an Eco-Fable" - La Pietra Gardens

CAST (in order of appearance)

CHARLES/CARLINO, professional wrestlers | Jerry Stamatelatos, Joy Fraser Cooper
OLIVER, a nobleman, eldest son of Sir Rowland De Bois | Eric Nicholson
CHORUS of Goatherds and Shepherds | Juliet Potter, Jozlyn Privett, Jatin Nagaraja Rao Vasan, Jerry Stamatelatos, Gabby Davis, Margaret Schmitz, Kairava Buchwald, Leah Brewer, Joy Fraser Cooper, Mia Alejandra Garza Peña, Mia Kandi James, Nikolas Rojanes, Kaijie Shi
LOVE (Cupid), disguised as a Goatherd | Elia Nichols, Gabby Monet Davis, Margaret Schmitz
DAPHNE, friend of Silvia | Isabella Gassò
SILVIA, beloved by Aminta | Mona Ziabari
AMINTA, in love with Silvia | Jasper Wang
TIRSI, friend of Aminta | Yiyan He
SATIRO (SATYR), in love with Silvia | Elia Nichols
DUCHESS FERNANDA, mother of Rosalind, in exile | Margaret Schmitz
AMIENS, a singer, attending on Duchess Fernanda | Mia Alejandra Garza Peña
LADY-LORDS attending on Duchess Fernanda | Joy Fraser Cooper, Mona Ziabari, Yanting Liu (Singer)
JAQUES, a melancholy traveler | Mia Kandi James
ROSALIND, daughter of Duchess Fernanda, disguised as ‘Ganymede’ | Juliet Potter
CELIA, Rosalind’s cousin, disguised as ‘Aliena’ | Jozlyn Privett
TOUCH-STONE, a court jester | Kairava Buchwald & Leah Brewer
CORIN, an elderly shepherd | Eric Nicholson
SILVIUS, a shepherd, in love with Phoebe | Jatin Nagaraja Rao Vasan
ORLANDO, a nobleman, in love with Rosalind | Nikolas Rojanes
AUDREY, a Goatherd | Elia Nichols
PHOEBE, a shepherd | Gabby Monet Davis
SIR OLIVER MARTEXT, a country gentleman “priest” | Kaijie Shi
WILLIAM, a country youth, in love with Audrey | Jerry Stamatelatos

MUSICIANS
Erik Arellano, flute
Aurora Piñon, violin
Jozlyn Privett, cello
Mira Schlotter, flute
Sara Sogawa, viola
Ami Yong, guitar and keyboards

DANCERS (in alphabetical order, by surname)
Leah Brewer, Gabby Davis, Mia Garza Peña, Yiyan He, Mia James , Mira Parker

PRODUCTION TEAM (in alphabetical order, by surname)
Roberto Andrioli, Movement and Physical Acting Coach
Zoe Ziqin Chiodi, Costumes
Emre Erkaya, Audio and Lighting Management
Rayn Frantz, Fight Captain
Gloria Giordano, Choreographer and Dance Coach
London Guven, Assistant Director
Mia Kandi James, Goat Masks and Costumes Artist
Chocoria Jiang, Video Producer and Publicity
Eric Nicholson, Director and Producer
Mira Parker, Assistant Stage Manager
Cassidy Perretta, Set and Props Artist
Sherry Ren, Make-up Artist
Kate Rizzuto, Costumes and Assistant Stage Manager
Liora Shuster, Stage Manager
Austen Thomas, Assistant Stage Manager
Rebecca Tonetti, Stage Manager
Annamaria Toth Konya Tannon, Costumes

USHERS
Jean-Luc Gibson, Maria Kaltsidis, Millicent Makar, and Joey Zhao

A NOTE on this evening’s PLAY:

"Aminta As You Like It, or The Audreyad: an Eco-Fable" is a hybrid (‘contaminatio’ in Latin) of two early modern classics: Aminta, a “favola boschereccia” (woodland fable) by Torquato Tasso, premiered outdoors in Ferrara, 1573, and As You Like It, by William Shakespeare, first performed at the Globe Theatre in Southwark, 1599. Both these “pastoral” plays evoke the “Golden Age,” a mythical time of perfect harmony between humans and the world of Nature. In various ways, both serious and comic, they dramatize tensions between civilization and the natural environment, amidst the climate crises, deforestations, and industrial incursions that were becoming urgent problems then, as they are now. In this same context, they also express the quest for freedom, true love, and personal fulfillment, beyond the confines of social and political injustice, through the renewal of green and “golden” compatibility.

THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

The La Pietra Players wish to thank numerous people whose generous professional and personal assistance have enabled our production to happen, especially Rogan Kersh, Lorenzo Ricci, Nicoletta Peluffo, Elisabetta Clementi, Barbara Bonciani, Lucia Ferroni, Marija Mihajlovic, Cristina Bellini, Arachi Jung, Alexa Farah, Cristina Fantacci, Francesca Baldry, Nicole Cuddeback, Olivier De Maret, Claudio Pedretti, Marco del Rocca, Nick Dakin Elliot, Nicola Porri, Mario Carcasci, Federico Ricci, Mayara Pereira, Domenico Cannalire, and the entire NYU Villa La Pietra Gardens and Technical staff, Benedicta Djumah, Giulietta Molinari, Mary Barbera, and many others: GRAZIE MILLE!!!