As the sun begins to set over Manitou Springs, deer wander across the hillside, owls settle into the trees and Smokebrush Foundation’s Onaledge Historic Lodge quietly transforms into William Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden.

There are no elaborate backdrops to build. Nature has already done the work.

Beginning Aug. 6, Star Bar Players will turn the century-old lodge into the setting of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” inviting audiences to spend an evening beneath the stars as the romantic comedy unfolds around them.

The production runs through Aug. 23 at Onaledge Historic Lodge, 336 El Paso Blvd., culminating with a final weekend of performances Aug. 29-30 at Creekside Event Center at Elephant Rock Experience in Palmer Lake.

“In theater, every audience creates like an entity, a shared experience,” director Beth Clements Mosley said. “Every audience becomes part of the show, so you’ll become a part of this endeavor together with the actors. It’s very joyful, healthy and very therapeutic.”

For Star Bar Players, the outdoor setting is more than a scenic backdrop. Founded in 1973, the community theater has spent more than five decades staging Shakespeare throughout the Pikes Peak region.

Since Clements Mosley and her husband took over operations in 2009, the theater company often embraces the tradition of bare-stage theater, where the story itself is the main focus rather than the set. 

This year, Clements Mosley set the comedy in the 1960s to voyage through the main character Rosalind’s journey of self-discovery. 

After Rosalind is forced to flee her home and is banished from her court, she disguises herself as a young man for her safety and escapes into the Forest of Arden alongside her cousin Celia, only to cross paths with the man she’s fallen in love with, Orlando.

Unaware of her true identity, Orlando turns to the disguised Rosalind for advice on how to court … Rosalind.

What follows is a whirlwind of mistaken identities, disguises, witty banter and unlikely friendships as exiled nobles, jesters and lovers all find refuge in the forest. 

“It’s not just about falling in love,” Clements Mosley said. “It’s actually about finding a place where you can be the best version of who you are and where you can be yourself. It’s about love, disguise and mistaken identity.”

For Clements Mosley, returning to Shakespeare carries a meaning that reaches far beyond this summer’s production.

After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2018, she stepped away from producing theater while undergoing chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and a bone-marrow transplant. Star Bar Players returned to the stage in 2019, while Clements Mosley has remained in remission for several years.

“One of the things I realized when I was sick was that theater is what makes my life really rich and worth living,” she said. “Getting back, doing Shakespeare and giving local young actors the chance to do it was so important to me. If I don’t get to do anything else in my life, this is all I want to do.”

Now, the cast of 16 will spend four weekends bringing that passion to life beneath the trees of Onaledge Historic Lodge.

General admission tickets are $26.50, while seniors, students, military members and educators receive discounted admission for $15.90. While shows are available at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, all 4 p.m. Sunday performances offer locals the option to pay what they can. 

“One of the reasons I chose ‘As You Like It’ was because it’s about finding your way into light,” Clements Mosley said. “I feel like right now there’s so much stress in the world that I really wanted for people to leave feeling uplifted, hopeful and happy. I just wanted to give them a chance to have a lovely time, eat some snacks, breathe some fresh air and laugh.” 

IF YOU GO 

What: Star Bar Players “As You Like It”

When: 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6-23 

Where: Onaledge Historic Lodge at Sun Mountain Center, 336 El Paso Blvd.

Price: $15.90-$26.50