A radical re-telling of William Shakespeare's classic play will get centre stage treatment.

As You Like It, or The Land Acknowledgement by Cliff Cardinal, will grace the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre's stage on Thursday, Oct. 3 to kick off its 2024-24 spotlight series. 

Cardinal, who is known for his mischievous and fearless approach, brings a devastating yet laugh-out-loud examination of land acknowledgements as a cultural and political practice. The production is deeply informed by Cardinal's Cree and Lakota heritage. 

鈥淚 have been a fan of Cliff Cardinal鈥檚 work for many years," said VDPAC's artistic director Erin Kennedy. "This gripping performance will make you laugh and break your heart."

The show is produced by Crow's Theatre, based out of Toronto. The performance addresses challenging themes, including war and its associated violence, colonization, adult language, sexual violence, gun violence, mass murder, and suicide.

Subject matter may cause distress or trigger challenging emotions for some audience members. If there are certain themes that you would find particularly disturbing, please speak to someone in Patron's Services before entering the theatre.

The one and a half hour production starts at 7:30 p.m. are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors and $25 for students.