SPECIAL EVENT: Knoxville Shakespeare- As you Like it (July 31 Matinee)

WHO: Tennessee Stage Company & Ijams Nature Center

WHAT: As You Like It by William Shakespeare

WHERE: Ijams Nature Center Field in front of the Visitors Center 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920

WHEN: House Opens at 7 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, July 21 - Aug. 7      2 p.m. indoor matinee, Sunday, July 31

COST: $15.00 (Special pricing for groups of 4 or more) 

              Kids under 15 free with Penny for the Arts Ticket 

The Tennessee Stage Company presents its 32nd Shakespeare Festival, now renamed “Knoxville Shakespeare.” This season will feature Shakespeare’s renowned comedy, As You Like It, and is being produced in cooperation with Ijams Nature Center – the new permanent home for Knoxville Shakespeare. Guests should bring their own lawn chairs or blankets so they will have room to spread out and observe proper social distancing while enjoying the outdoor performances. The performances will be held in the open field in front of the Visitors Center of Ijams Nature Center, located at 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920, just a short drive from downtown. There is an indoor space at Ijams Nature Center where performances will move in case of rain and where the matinees will be performed.

This season, there is a different format than in previous years: There will be one play in July and one in October. As You Like It opens the festival on Thursday, July 21. It continues through August 7. (Our next show, Measure For Measure, will open with a special Saturday opening night on October 8.) Another new aspect of the performances this season will be special preview performances. On Wednesday, July 20, As You Like It will offer a preview performance open to the public as a “Pay What You Can” performance. The preview will start at the regular performance time for each show.

Special Dates:

July 20 - "Pay What You Can" Night

July 21 - City of Knoxville's Knoxville Shakespeare Day!

July 31- Indoor Matinee at 2 pm

July 16 - Shakesology Online with Dr. Jennifer Horn

Admission is $15 for adults. 4 pack ticket packages are available for $50.

Children in Knox County and surrounding county school systems qualify for Penny4Arts program which allow for these children to come free of charge based on these guidelines:

- All children ages 5-15 must be accompanied by a paying adult (age 18 and older) in a ratio not to exceed three children per one adult. - Proof of Knox and surrounding County residency may be required; - At least one in a group of up to four students ages 16-18 must purchase a regular adult admission/ticket for the group to be able to participate in Penny4Arts.

- Penny4Arts Tickets must be included in your reservation.

Reduced Ticket Price Info:

If Ticket Price present a barrier to entry, email Community@TennesseeStage.com

For more information about the Tennessee Stage Company, Knoxville Shakespeare (Formerly "Shakespeare on the Square"), or to join our support guild, the Buddies of the Bard (BoB), call 865-546-4280 or e-mail Tom@TennesseeStage.com or go to the Tennessee Stage Company website HERE.

Plot Summary

In addition to being one of Shakespeare’s funniest and most beloved comedies, As You Like It is his nod to the Robin Hood legends. An outlawed Duke lives with his fellows in the Forest of Arden; a banished younger son (Orlando) joins him – fleeing his murderous older brother. Soon Rosalind – already deeply in love with Orlando – disguises herself as a man and flees to the forest as well to seek her true love. Set in an enchanting forest, with some of Shakespeare’s funniest clowns, sweetest songs and an Elizabethan version of the World Wrestling Federation, As You Like It is a marvelous entertainment for the entire family.