Kristianne Kurner will direct her last show at the Carlsbad theater she co-founded 25 years ago.

New Village Arts' musical adaptation of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" begins previews Friday, Oct. 16, at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center, 2787 State St. The show runs through Nov. 29, with opening night Saturday, Oct. 24. The production marks Kurner's final turn as director before she steps down as executive artistic director, a role she has held since launching the company in 2001.

"I'm thrilled to return to the Forest of Arden for my final show as a director with New Village Arts," Kurner said in a statement reported by BroadwayWorld. Kurner is also designing the scenery.

She has produced more than 130 shows and directed more than 40 during her tenure. She told the San Diego Union-Tribune in July that the 25th-season milestone gave her confidence the organization could thrive without her. She plans to remain with NVA through June 2027 to help the board find and train a successor, then return to New York City to pursue opportunities in film and TV.

The adaptation, by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery, reimagines Shakespeare's court as the glitzy world of Hollywood, according to BroadwayWorld. The Forest of Arden draws inspiration from Joshua Tree, becoming a free-spirited, music-filled refuge. Cast members play piano, guitar, ukulele, cello, cajón, drums and bass live onstage.

Johnisa Breault leads the cast as Rosalind, returning to New Village Arts for the first time since appearing in "Leonard Bernstein's New York" at The Flower Fields. The production also features NVA's Mainstage Players, a program providing professional theatrical training for artists with developmental disabilities and neurodiversity.

"As You Like It" was the very first Shakespeare in the Park production New Village Arts staged in 2001 at Carlsbad's Stagecoach Park, according to the Union-Tribune.

The company has traveled a long road since those early days in a converted chicken coop at Magee Park's Granary. NVA spent five years in a Jazzercise studio before settling into the onetime Bauer Lumber Building on State Street. That building was rededicated as the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center in January 2023, honoring local Black playwright and arts philanthropist Dea Hurston.

Previews run Oct. 16–23 on the Ray Charles Stage. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., with Friday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. A Dea Hurston Industry Night is set for Monday, Nov. 9.

Tickets range from $45 to $85 and are on sale at NewVillageArts.org. NVA advises theatergoers attending the Sunday, Nov. 1 matinee to allow extra time for travel and parking because of the Carlsbad Village Street Faire that day.

The rest of the 25th anniversary season includes "Cabaret" opening Jan. 29, 2027, "Furlough's Paradise" opening April 9, 2027, and "In the Heights" opening June 4, 2027.