Concordia senior’s “Much Ado About Nothing” capstone play draws inspiration from Shakespeare in the Park
Photo credit: Mi-Ree Zwick
By Mi-Ree Zwick
The Concordia community gathered in the campus Quad on Wednesday in lawn chairs, on picnic blankets, and under trees to laugh at the opening night of Shakespeare’s classic enemies-to-lovers comedy directed by senior Andrew Ring for his theatre capstone project.
Photo: Mi-Ree Zwick.
Concordia’s showing of “Much Ado About Nothing” follows the tradition of Shakespeare in the Park, where an acting troupe performs Shakespeare plays outside, where the audience can sit on all sides of the stage. The student-acted and student-directed show runs from April 22-25, and the final performances are on Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.
Ring said that his own experience with Shakespeare in the Park is why he chose “Much Ado About Nothing” as his capstone project. With a different acting troupe, he participated in Shakespeare in the Park for about three years, and he said he “wanted to bring that fun tradition here.”
Since Ring adapted “Much Ado About Nothing” to take place in the 1920s, the costumes, props and dialogue reflect this change. The focus of the play is on the relationships between Beatrice and Benedick as well as Claudio and Hero. Much of the story revolves around matchmaking between couples with interference from the antagonists.
Freshman Emma Fiala said she was first exposed to “Much Ado About Nothing” within another Shakespeare in the Park event performed by a different troupe.
“It’s easy to follow,” said Fiala. “It’s very easy to keep everyone straight, especially with their acting.”
Photo: Mi-Ree Zwick.
Senior audience member Patrick Mars was already familiar with the story, since he said he grew up watching the play on TV. He thought it was interesting that this version was adapted to a different century.
“Shakespeare is always meant to be watched,” said Mars. He said there is a big difference between reading a play in school and seeing it performed in front of your eyes. Shakespeare is much easier to follow when you watch a performance, Mars said.
Actor Joshua Nikodym said that the cast was doing a great job with the play and put a lot of hard work into it. He also appreciated the reactions of the audience members.
Members of the cast include Nikodym (Benedick), Claire Horacek (Beatrice), Cayden Carrasco (The Prince, Don Pedro), Mason Lockwood (Don Jon), Jason Church (Claudio), Aubrey Burmeister (Hero), Catherine Vyhlidal (Leonata), Nathan Sievert (Borachio), Sam Olson (Conrade/Friar Francis), Andrea Dugan (Ursula/First Watchman), Marieka Kaufman (Margret), Meadow Burk (Messenger/Seacole), Morgan Davis (Dogberry), and Duncan Carrasco (Verges).
