Director's Note
Much Ado About Nothing is often considered a "problem play." Though classified as a comedy, it is little more than one deception away from tragedy. Everything seems to be tied up neatly when the curtain falls, but even the clandestine reconciliation of lovers leaves unanswered questions and an uncertain future. Can a tumultuous courtship permit the blossoming of a healthy marriage for the two pairs of lovers? We wish them the best, but fate casts and uncertain shadow on their future wedded life.
The "problem" at the heart of Much Ado largely pertains to the ambiguities of its characters. There is no blak or white in Shakespeare's Messina. A plain-dealing villian bears the weight of his illegitimate birthright. A noble count disgraces himself in an attempt to preserve his fragile honor. And a merry war becomes the prelude to a nuptual for a pair of word-sparring rivals. These "problems," however, are exactly why I chose to present this play. If these few hours of entertainment will inspire in the audience a reflective examination of man's frailties in the offices of love and honor, then we wll have done justice to this masterpiece.
I want to welcome you all to the world of Shakespeare's Messina. In it we have strived to recreate the spirit of the Renaissance–a rebirth of art, music, life, and love. The text itself was perhaps our greatest inspiration, for it is, in and of itself, a wealth of music, its very words "a fantastical banquet" that I urge you to savor. I cannot begin to express the depth of my gratitude toward the many people who helped make this produciton a reality. I was tryly blessed with a cast and crew who inspired me at every turn with their dedication, patience, creativity, and passion. It is truly their show, and I hope that all will enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.
Meredith Spisak
| Players | ||
| Don Pedro, prince of Arragon | Scott Dai | |
| Don John, his bastard brother | Chris Ruth | |
| Claudio, a young lord of Florence | Chris Moyer | |
| Benedick, a young lord of Padua | Matt Heap | |
| Leonato, a governor of Messina | Josh Halko | |
| Antonio, his brother | Clare Drobot | |
| Balthasar, attendant on Don Pedro | Brookes Decker | |
| Borachio, follower of Don John | Tyson Schrader | |
| Conrade, follower of Don John | Katelyn Shearer | |
| Friar Francis | Pei Liu | |
| Dogberry, a constable | Jon Ames | |
| Verges, a headborough | Allison Pottern | |
| Sexton | Alex Aspiazu | |
| Hero, daughter of Leonato | Catherine Hofler | |
| Beatrice, niece of Leonato | Joanna Strapp | |
| Margaret, gentlewoman attending on Hero | Kristina Wiltsee | |
| Ursula, gentlewoman attending on Hero | Robin Trew | |
| Messenger | Erin Snyder | |
| First Watchman | Jennifer Stulman | |
| Second Watchman | Katie Dahl | |
| Crew | ||
| Director | Meredith Spisak | |
| Production Liaison | Theresa Lin | |
| Technical Director | CBR | |
| Production Manager | Matt Park | |
| Stage Manager | Shilpa Reddy | |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Gena Miller | |
| Set Designer | Katelyn Shearer | |
| Master Carpenter | Sara Rockwell | |
| Assistant Master Carpenter | Shafeeq Sinnamohideen | |
| Paint Charge | Aaron Tarnow | |
| Paint Charge | Beth Semler | |
| Props Master | Marcus Lemmon | |
| Lighting Designer | Maya"Chaos" Nigrosh | |
| Master Electrician | Chris Marshall | |
| Assistant Master Electrician | Brian Gray | |
| Sound Designer | Jeff Lanza | |
| Costume Designers | Nikki Delhomme | |
| Alexandra Orgera | ||
| Public Relations | Jennifer Murray | |
| Adam Atkinson | ||
| Scenic Artist | Inyoung Song | |
| Choreographers | Matt Park | |
| Amanda Hamlin | ||
| Build Crew | Katherine Crawford | |
| Katie Dahl | ||
| Scott Dai | ||
| Susan Dernyar | ||
| Ken Tew | ||
| Anne Wooton | ||
| Eric | ||
| Paint Crew | Jon Ames | |
| Ashley Anderson | ||
| Adam Atkinson | ||
| CBR | ||
| Katie Dahl | ||
| Scott Dai | ||
| Greg Gilotti | ||
| Brian Gray | ||
| Marcus Lemmon | ||
| Theresa Lin | ||
| Alexandra Orgera | ||
| Tyson Schrader | ||
| Katelyn Shearer | ||
| Meredith Spisak | ||
| Ram Subramanian | ||
| Run Crew | Ashley Anderson | |
| Sarah Steinberg | ||
| Katie Wallat | ||
| Lighting Mooks | CBR | |
| Mike Creegan | ||
| Tolga Erbay | ||
| Shafeeq Sinnamohideen | ||
| Aaron Tarnow | ||
| Ken Tew | ||
| Anne Wooton | ||
| Costume Crew | Hallie Stern | |
| Will Cooper-Douglas |