Much Ado About Nothing
Friday, January 31, 2025 7:00pm-
Sunday, February 2, 2025 9:00pm
Address:
Ashland University Studio Theatre
331 College Avenue
Ashland, OH 44805
The Ashbrook Classical Theater Company will present four performances of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” on Friday, Jan. 31, through Sunday, Feb. 2. The shows, taking place at the Studio Theatre in Ashland University’s College of Fine Arts, will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, along with an additional 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday.
Admission is free and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis, though seats may be reserved ahead of time by emailing shakespeare@ashbrook.org. The run time is estimated at three hours, including an intermission.
This marks the fifth show presented by the Ashbrook Classical Theater Company, according to Sabrina Maristela, student programs coordinator of the Ashbrook Center, but it will be the first student-directed show. Senior Leanna Uselton, an Ashbrook Scholar who is majoring in creative writing with minors in political science, theater and music, is directing this production.
There are about 30 students involved in the production overall, including Heath Johnson (Claudio), Grace Snyder (Hero), Ray Yeh (Benedick), Nora Bacon and Mikehlah Carr (splitting the role of Beatrice), Luke German (Dogberry) and Claire Houchin (lighting design).
“Much Ado About Nothing,” a comedy written by Shakespeare in the late 1500s, revolves around two romantic stories with quite different journeys. It explores themes of love, communication and deception, and Maristela noted that there have been no cuts to the original language.
“We started this theater company as a way to complement and enhance the academic excellence and exploration of the Ashbrook Scholar program. Shakespeare is a master of portraying the human condition, and we already study him in our classes, so this is a very natural way to engage even more with one of the greatest minds in history,” said Maristela. “’Much Ado About Nothing’ might seem like a silly story at first glance, but if you really pay attention, you’ll see that Shakespeare is telling us that ‘nothing’ really can change people quite a lot.”
The Ashbrook Center, established in 1983, is an independent academic center located at Ashland University. Named in honor of the late Congressman John M. Ashbrook, its mission is to strengthen constitutional self-government by educating students, teachers and citizens in the history and founding principles of the United States.
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