Much Ado About Nothing
April 17, 2020 Youtube
One of Shakespeare's most beloved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing is a play about love, wit, and trickery; however, most of all, it is a play about observation and gossip. Lord Denney's Players' sixth production uses surveillance to demonstrate how the people of Messina both eavesdrop upon and wittily perform for one another. Yet despite the constant observation of their surveillance state, Much Ado's characters regularly search for tenderness, finding human connection amidst a society that values voyeurism over intimacy.
Lord Denney's Players' production of Much Ado About Nothing was originally scheduled to run March 26-29, 2020 in the Ohio Union, but the state's "stay-at-home" order prevented the live show from occurring. Fortunately, ASCTech and LDP's signature innovation saved the day: Much Ado's surveillance culture readily translated to a film built using the same social meeting software that has enabled OSU to move its educational mission entirely online.
Lord Denney’s Players sixth production, William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, premiered Friday, April 17 at 8 p.m. on the Department of English's YouTube channel. This is the first LDP production to be directed by an English major as a senior thesis and the first virtual premiere. After the show, viewers were invited to a Zoom talkback with the cast and crew of Much Ado.
The Much Ado About Nothing production was a unique experience that truly exemplified the old saying “The show must go on!” The freedom to explore different interpretations of this fantastic comedy was a real treasure and a skill
which I’ve found incredibly useful in my English studies. The collaborative structure of LDP has given me confidence and pride in my own creative and academic projects, and the troupe’s unique openness and welcoming of ideas from all members of the production were crucial components in creating a successful and distinctive show.
- Devon Mushalko
Videos↓
Full production: Much Ado About Nothing
Video Discussions:
Cast and Crew↓
CAST
- Antonio - Cat McAlpine as Daniel Knapper.
- Balthasar / Ensemble - Michelle Massey, senior majoring in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Education
- Beatrice - Devon Mushalko, senior majoring in English and music
- Benedick - Hannah Nelson, senior majoring in English and anthropology
- Borachio - Joey Hoffman, senior majoring in English
- Claudio - Joe Flynn, senior in English
- Conrade - Claire Lefton, senior in film studies and journalism
- Dogberry- Alayna Hanson, senior art and theatre
- Don John - Elizabeth Falter, manager of the Digital Media Project
- Don Pedro - Abbi Voda, 2018 alumna
- Ensemble- Abigail Christiansen, freshman majoring in English
- Ensemble - Sarah Gibson, freshman majoring in music education and Spanish)
- Friar Francis - Morgan Bumgarner, freshman majoring in psychology)
- Hero - Nicole Neifert, sophomore majoring in neuroscience)
- Leonato - Antony Shuttleworth, assistant professor of English
- Margaret - Jenny Morrison, sophomore majoring in English and heatre
- Ursula / Sexton - Renna Pappalardo, sophomore majoring in English and history
- Verges - Kelly Kline, junior majoring in linguistics
CREW
- Director - Hannah Woods, a senior majoring in English
- Stage Manager/Dramaturge - Sheridon Ward
- Assistant Stage Manager - Maddie Conley, second year majoring in English.
- Choreographer - Hannah Nelson, senior majoring in English and anthropology
- Costume Designer - Jenny Morrison, sophomore majoring in English and heatre
- Technical Director - Sarah Neville, Assistant Professor in the English Department and Director of LDP.
- Technical Stage Manager/Dramaturge - Elizabeth Falter, manager of the Digital Media Project
- Digital Media Group- Ashton Ansel, Dan McClaskey, Scott DeWitt
- ASCTech Studio Manager - Doug Dangler, Manager in the Digital Media Studio.
- Audio Post Production - Paul Kotheimer, Systems Manager
- Video Editing and Graphics - Scott Sprague, Electronic Media Producer
Paratexts↓
Peer reviewed Article: Zoom dramaturgy that resulted from this production by Elizabeth Falter and Sarah Neville: "William Shakespeare's Much A-Zoom About Nothing" (open-access; freely available)
Interview with the The College of Arts & Sciences: Lord Denney's Players adapt play into 'Much A-Zoom About Nothing'
Interview with The Digital Media Group/ Department of English : Lord Denney's Players' Much Ado About Nothing