Lolita Gongora as Titania, under Oberon's spell, dotes on Michael Arcaro as Bottom during the ASU Theatre and Shakespeare Club's 2014 production, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Nikki Gallagher. (Photo courtesy of Impressions by JenneLynne)Ornamented by Shakespearean eloquence and laden with metaphors through the embodiment of Elizabethan dialogue, the comedic play, "Much Ado About Nothing," will be produced and performed at ASU this semester. With the help of fundraising campaigns, The ASU Theatre and Shakespeare Club aims to produce the Bard of Avon’s timeless classic in a fashion that is both affordable for audiences and elucidating to why theater culture is not lost.
Widely regarded as one of Shakespeare’s best comedies, "Much Ado About Nothing" features robust exuberance, rapier wit and even constituents of romance and tragedy. The romantic comedy also explores deceptive characters, undertones of infidelity and the motif of a paragon of social decorum.
Michael Arcaro, executive producer of this ASU Theatre production, said the comedic elements of the play caught his attention.
“The entire executive board read the play, and it immediately caught our attention, because it’s such a smart comedy," he said.
He added that there was an assortment of character options for both genders.
“Another reason we picked this particular play is because it has a lot of feature roles for both male and female actors, and that’s a big deal to us," Arcaro said.
Isaac Gamus as Puck and Alex Medina as Oberon scheme away during the ASU Theatre and Shakespeare Club's 2014 production, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," directed by Nikki Gallagher. (Photo courtesy of Impressions by JenneLynne)The play will be directed by sustainability junior Alex Medina. Before becoming interested in directing, Medina was an actor who had roles in plays such as "The Crucible" at West Liberty University and most recently, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" at ASU.
Medina notes the production is still in its infancy as the sets and costumes are still in the process of being assembled.
“We just finished the auditioning process, and now we’re sitting with set designers to work on all of the technical aspects," he said. "We also have read-throughs coming up where we get to focus on the character development with the actors."
Aside from being a masterful demonstration of the consonance that emanates from the entanglement of human desire, "Much Ado About Nothing" is a play that is suitable for all audiences.
Medina said the play will also be extremely affordable.
“Students will pay no more than $5 for a ticket," he confirmed.
The play is set to be performed at the end of April. In the meantime, The ASU Theatre and Shakespeare Club will be hosting on-campus fundraisers in addition to an online GoFundMe Campaign where donations are welcome.
Reach the reporter at zmoranno@asu.edu or follow @thezackarymoran on Twitter.
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