William Shakespeare famously wrote in his play As You Like It – “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.”

Like much of Shakespeare’s work, you can look at this on many levels. One interpretation is, although we each believe we are masters of our own destiny, in fact much of our life is spent performing for others, doing what others expect of us. These days, especially in our professional or work life.

For some of us, life is even more complex than Shakespeare observed. If you actually are a professional performer, your serious work-day world is a stage, and your work-life consists of actually playing the part, of fictional characters.

Amy Waguespack is an actor and theater director. Amy is the founder and Artistic Director of Acting Up Theater Company. Acting Up is the resident, professional, theatre company at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. 

Clare Cook is a dancer and choreographer. Clare is the Artistic Director of the Clare Cook Dance Theater, and the founder of Basin Arts, a new dance and arts space in downtown Lafayette. 

Photos at Cafe Vermilionville by Gwen Aucoin.