19 Jan 2026 Actors From The London Stage to perform at Hendrix College
CONWAY — Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS) will present three performances of William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 5-6, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Feb. 7, in Hendrix College’s Cabe Theatre. Admission is free for the public, but reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made at bit.ly/ASYOULIKEITTIX.
Co-sponsoring the AFTLS residency are the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation and the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance.
“As You Like It” is a musical comedy with themes of love, forgiveness, and envy and features one of Shakespeare’s most well-known monologues, “all the world’s a stage.”
AFTLS, which recently celebrated its 50th year, was founded in 1975 at the University of California, Santa Barbara, by Professor Homer “Murph” Swander and the renowned stage and screen actor Sir Patrick Stewart. Stewart rose to fame in the roles of Captain Picard on TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Professor Xavier in the X-Men film franchise.
The mission of AFTLS is “to interpret Shakespeare’s text as a blueprint for performance, lifting the words off the page as Shakespeare originally intended.”
“The opportunity for the Hendrix students to learn how to interpret the words of the ‘Master Bard’ himself will not only further their comprehension of his works,” said Lauren Ayn Lusk, assistant professor of theatre arts, “but will give them a leg up in the wider world of academics as a whole.”
The five actors use minimal props and costumes and direct themselves in a performance of a complete Shakespeare play, with each actor portraying multiple roles. The actors also lead classes and workshops during the residency week to connect with students, faculty, and staff at the host college or university.
“We’re thrilled to have the Actors From The London Stage at Hendrix College,” said Dr. Tyrone Jaeger, Hendrix-Murphy Foundation interim director, professor of English-creative writing, and Creative Writing Program director. “And I’m equally excited for the educational opportunities they’ll be offering our students in theatre, English, creative writing, philosophy, and politics and other courses as they engage with our students in the classroom.”
During their residency, AFTLS will engage with students by visiting the classes: Acting Fundamentals taught by Brigitte Rogers, professor of dance, and Ruthann Curry, adjunct instructor in theatre arts; Constitutional Law taught by Dr. Kim Maslin, professor of politics; Creative Writing Senior Thesis taught by Dr. Tyrone Jaeger; Introduction to Theatre taught by Hal Cosentino, assistant professor of theatre arts and Murphy Fellow in Theatre Arts; What is Beauty?, taught by Dr. James M. Dow, professor of philosophy; and Writing in Response to Art taught by Marie Kressin, visiting assistant professor of English.
For more information about Actors from the London Stage, visit hendrixmurphy.org/aftls. For more information about the Hendrix Players, or Theatre Arts & Dance at Hendrix College, visit hendrix.edu/theatrearts or contact Theatre Arts & Dance Department Interim Chair Brigitte Rogers at [email protected] or 501.450.1343. For directions to Cabe Theatre at Hendrix College, view the campus map at hendrix.edu/campusmap.
