New Bwog Staffer Rania Borgani attended Under The Greenwood Tree, a documentary that takes a look at the making of the play As You Like It, performed by 200 various New Yorkers.

On Wednesday, October 7th, I had the privilege of viewing the documentary, Under the Greenwood Tree, which follows the making of the musical, As You Like it. This production was inspired by Shakespeare’s play of the same name and was performed in 2017 by various New Yorkers, none of which acted professionally before. These newly turned actors were primarily members of various New York organizations (with representation from all five boroughs), that work to provide a community or network for those in need.

The title of the documentary refers to a song in Act II of Shakespeare’s play. The song speaks of finding peace underneath the tree. This idea is similar to what the musical itself accomplished: it provided a place for participants to find community and truly engage with one another. Shakespeare’s play itself is about a fascist regime that has sent many people into exile, reinforcing this concept of unity during a time of hardship. 

It originally seemed counterintuitive to be alone while watching a documentary about a play that brought people together. Considering I “attended” the premiere of the documentary, it does not seem unlikely that its original context of viewing would be at a theater with others. However, I watched it alone, at my desk, at the same place I take my Zoom calls and do my homework.

Why would watching this documentary be any less of a solitary action? My mind did often wonder as to who else might be experiencing this film and why. The movie theater does not provide the same unknown because I can physically see who is in attendance. When I am at the movies, I feel like I am going through a dionysian experience with the rest of the audience. I didn’t have that same sense this time.

However, I did connect with those I saw on screen. At many points during the musical, “actors” would make comments that acknowledged how the whole production was a performance and they were just acting. They would sing a line like “all the world’s a stage,” highlighting the fact that many actors are not professional actors. The world being a stage could mean, quite literally, that everyone is playing out their own role; not just members on stage but those in the audience or, even now, those watching the documentary.

I think that was the point of the documentary and the musical: even if something is performative, there are always connections to be drawn and comparisons to make. Even though we are all currently separated by a screen, we could still relive this moment of unity via the documentary and understand it and hold on to it.

One scene I particularly enjoyed was a scene regarding Rosalind, one of the main characters who disguises herself as a boy. Before disguising herself, however, she sings about some of the societal pressure she experiences being a woman. One of her lines that particularly stuck out to me was “Rosalind be rosy. Rosalind be gay. Rosalind don’t speak unless you’ve something nice to say”. Rosalind is obviously repeating demands frequently spoken to her and omits her voice from the narrative.

She later goes on to argue “If only they knew what was underneath the costume”. I took away two meanings from this line. First, the legitimate concern that women are only seen at face value and that is their only point of worth. But also, the idea that she is not a “normal actor” and these concerns are present in the lives of many women as well.

This consciousness adds to the relatability of the play itself and stuck with me long after I finished watching. There were multiple scenes that demonstrated consciousness of life outside of the play that truly made me feel more attached to each cast member. 

My belief that I could be connected to 200 random New Yorkers only reinforced how a strong community can make you feel less alone. I couldn’t help but think of the larger Columbia and Barnard community. Even though we are apart, we are, in many ways, still together and we recognize that.

Originally, the play was to be remounted in 2020 to celebrate the anniversary of PublicWorks (the company that puts on the play). However, this was canceled due to Covid-19 and the documentary was the alternative. I read the documentary as more of a timepiece: all the footage used featured citizens wearing masks, effectively dating the documentary. However, the play itself is consistently relevant and applicable (somehow a Shakespearean play remains topical during an election year). Both the play and documentary are necessary to understand the significance of what it means to be a community in 2020.

Delacorte Theatre via Wikimedia Commons