This past November, the hard work of fourteen cast members, eight production assistants, thirteen crew members, and an incredible production staff paid off when the Marymount Players performed Much Ado About Nothing. This Shakespearian comedy delighted audiences on November 8th, 9th and 10th in Cantwell Auditorium. The show was a great success, and everyone involved had a blast.

Much Ado About Nothing follows the interconnected stories of two couples: Hero and Claudio and Beatrice and Benedict. It takes place in the sunny town of Messina on the island of Sicily. The seaside home of Leonato, governor of Messina, serves as the perfect setting for a tale of love, deceit, and friendship. And what would a story be without a little villainy? Don John, the illegitimate brother of Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, attempts to ruin Hero and Claudio’s relationship, and nearly succeeds.

As with any long process, creating this show had different highlights for each contributor. For Claire Hackett, director of Much Ado and chair of Marymount’s performing arts department, it “occurred when the students took ownership of the production, when they relaxed into their roles — whether those were on stage or off — and joyfully breathed life into Shakespeare’s world of Messina…It was like a great celebration of human accomplishment.”

This “human accomplishment” not only includes the work of the cast, but also the work of the entire ensemble. The work of production manager, Will North, and costume designer, Ela Jo Erwin, along with the student crew and production assistants really made Messina come alive. Jordane Dumas ’14 worked on crew for this show and said, “[I loved] building the sets and being able to move them around and feel immersed in the play.” During performances, the crew is essential to having a good show. Without the crew, the story would be incomplete.

Every freshman at Marymount reads this play, and Jessenia Zelaya ’15 (Borachio and Friar Francis), said the best part about acting in Much Ado was “…being able to explore Shakespeare in a slightly more personal way… [I loved] being able to see everyone bring the roles to life in a way that I hadn’t really imagined.” The audience loved the production too! Karena Thé ’14 came to the Saturday evening performance. She exclaimed, “The stage was amazing and the play was the perfect mix of comedy and drama!”

Lucy Liljegren ’14 and Sophie Regan ’16

Sophie Regan ’16, Kimia Simab ’16, and Laila Rodriques ’15

Julia Fong ’16 and Phoebe Balson ’14

Jessenia Zelaya ‘15

Photos by Anissa Balson