Much Ado About Nothing
”Beyond having one of Shakespeare’s more comprehensible plot lines, Much Ado is fundamentally a rom-com wearing fancier clothes. Yes, there are moments when it seems all may not be well - but, in the end, good humor prevails and love triumphs over all, even over the hardest hearts or the most villainous plots. As we emerge from an incredibly taxing global pandemic, a little comfort media certainly seems in order! The 1920s setting was similarly inspired by the pandemic, this time drawing on historical parallels. The Roaring ‘20s were a hugely creative period, prompted by a new zest for life that came from surviving the Great War and the 1918 influenza pandemic. We’ve observed this same enthusiasm from our classmates this semester as we’ve returned to something closer to normalcy, and we hope that the decade to come will be a similarly joyful and creatively fruitful one, motivated by our lengthy hiatus from a great deal of our passions and life experiences.”
Company: Marina Benson (Beatrice), Kian Braulik (Don John), Marielle Buxbaum (Don Pedro), Isabelle Centola (Hero), Elizabeth Edwards (Dogberry/First Messenger), Sadie Elliott-Hart (Leonato), Hayley Gasbarro (Margaret/Sexton), Amelia Gaulke (Borachio/Second Messenger), Maya Laur (Ursula/Second Watchman), Ellie Leibner (Conrade), Grace Miller (Antonio/Verges), Sierra Riley (Claudio), Jordan Roller (Friar Francis/First Watchman), JL Zhang (Benedick)
Creative Team: Emily Mayo (Director/Executive Producer/Props Designer), Josephine Miller (Director/Executive Producer/Co-Costume Designer), Retta Karpinski (Set Designer). JL Zhang (Co-Costume Designer)
Photos by Estela Morais Westphalen
July 2021
Nightingale-Brown Garden
“Bold[ly] emanates the spirit of joy…a grand success” - the Brown Daily Herald
