From left to right: Jason Lindner as Duke Frederick/Amiens, Tariq Kanu as Orlando, Cheyenne Parks as Rosalind, and Felicity Mundy as Celia (Photo credit: Shamus).

Shakespeare in Clark Park is returning next month with outdoor performances of “As You Like It,” July 24-28 at the Bowl in Clark Park. The production features contemporary and creative innovations, including input from participants in a series of community poetry workshops (see more info below).

A celebration of poetry and community is the focus of this show, directed by Ontaria Kim Wilson. Professional Philadelphia actors take the stage along with community performers, and an original anthem has been created by local composer and community music leader, Pax Ressler. Wilson was born and raised in Philadelphia and lived through the ongoing shifts and displacement of community, a theme that is central to her interpretation of “As You Like It,” which is often simplified to a love story. Wilson’s  experience is essential to  the production, in the bodies we see onstage, and how the lead character, Rosalind, actively hides her identity to survive in a world where she was once celebrated.

“As You Like It” will be performed in the grassy, open air bowl in Clark Park, beginning at 7 p.m.. The Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania is the indoor venue in the event of inclement weather.

Before the performances, Shakespeare in Clark Park is hosting free community poetry workshops curated by local poet and resident teaching artist Warren Longmire, each focusing on different aspects of the work and a larger conversation about which voices are lifted up and how that can evolve. The workshops are free and culminate in pre-show poetry shares on the opening and closing performances on July 24 and 28. The poems people create will also be incorporated into the onstage design of the production.

Here is the poetry workshop schedule (registration is encouraged):

• Sunday, June 23, 2 p.m.: Erasing Shakespeare at Philadelphia Folklore Project (735 S 50th St)

• Saturday, June 29, 2 p.m.: Poetry for the Stage at Studio 34 (4522 Baltimore Ave)

• Sunday, July 7, 2 p.m.: Writing About Exile at Philadelphia Folklore Project (735 S 50th St)

For more information, visit: www.shakespeareinclarkpark.org.

Shakespeare in Clark Park performances are held in the park’s “Bowl” at 43rd and Chester (Archived photo, West Philly Local).