by William Shakespeare

Directed by Sharon Maine

A Gemco in the Park production

Details about the Auditions will be posted soon

Play Summary

William Shakespeare probably wrote ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in the middle of his career in 1598 or 1599. It is one of Shakespeare’s most widely performed plays, and certainly one of his most popular. The themes of love, mistaken identity, sexual jealousy, honour, betrayal and friendship all play out against the background of the Sicilian countryside.

The war is over. Everyone is out for fun; drinking, dancing, flirting and singing are the order of the day as Don Pedro and his entourage come to the estate of Leonato, Governor of Messina. We meet Beatrice, a clever, quick witted woman, who is engaged in an endless battle of wits with the noble Benedick. We also meet the young and inexperienced Hero and Claudio. Hero is Leonato’s daughter. Claudio and Benedick are courtiers in the service of Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon, a powerful nobleman.

Don Pedro has a half-brother, the illegitimate Don John. In Don John’s service are the drunken Borachio and the clever Conrade. Don John has recently rebelled against his half-brother, but has been defeated and forgiven. Everyone thinks Don John has been put back in his place, but Don John has different ideas. If he can’t openly rebel then he will cause trouble by other, less obvious means. He and his men set out to disturb the happiness of Don Pedro and his entourage.

The play examines the character arcs of Benedick and Beatrice, as they move from apparently detesting one another and disdaining love, to finally admitting their feelings for one another with the help of their friends. Both are tricked into admitting their feelings by the end of the play. The play also deals with Hero and Claudio as they fall in love, only to be nearly thwarted by the villainous Don John.

We also meet the Watch, Messina’s police force, headed up by the self-important but comically idiotic Dogberry. He is assisted by Verges, and they head up a fine (well, sort of …) body of constables who save the day, in spite of themselves.

Rehearsals:

November-March [break over Christmas period until mid-late January

Production dates:

March 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 2023

Roles to be cast/Audition requirements:

We will be performing an abridged version of the script. We are actively committed to casting an inclusive show that reflects the community - all roles are open to all ethnicities, genders and abilities. The cast will be comprised of a minimum of 12 actors. We aim to produce this classic work with a buzz. Most actors will play multiple roles. All roles are available.

Requirements:

Please prepare a Shakespeare monologue of your choice (does not have to be from Much Ado.) This allows every auditionee the opportunity to prepare a piece of Shakespeare that they can practice beforehand as we acknowledge that cold reading Shakespeare can be a challenge. All auditionees will be able to cold read from a short scene from Much Ado About Nothing during the audition.

Audition Dates:

Sunday 6th November between 2pm and 6pm; Thursday 10th November between 7pm and 10pm.

Information Session

Thursday 13th October 7.30-8.30pm:

Come along and meet the director and learn more about the play, the characters and the ideas for this production.

Audition Location:

The Gem Community Arts Centre, 19 Kilvington Road, Emerald, VIC

To Book an Audition time or to get more information: Please send an email to the director Sharon at sharonjmaine@gmail.com

Roles to be cast

We invite people to express interest in ANY role they would like to be considered for, regardless of the gender/ethnic/age identity that is historically associated with that character

Beatrice: Proud, witty, independent, with a deep sense of integrity. Possibly has been burned by love in the past.

Benedick: An aristocratic soldier who has recently been fighting under Don Pedro, and a friend of Don Pedro and Claudio. Proud, witty, independent, with a deep sense of integrity. Possibly has been burned by love in the past.

Hero: The daughter of Leonato and the cousin of Beatrice; a lovely, kind soul, she falls in love with Claudio when he falls for her, but when Don John slanders her and Claudio; rashly takes revenge, she suffers terribly. Smart and with a confidence beyond her years.

Claudio: A soldier who has won great acclaim fighting under Don Pedro during the recent wars; he falls in love with Hero upon his return, but his suspicious nature makes him quick to believe evil rumours and hasty to despair and take revenge.

Don Pedro: An important nobleman from Aragon, long-time friend of Leonato, Hero’s father, and friend to his soldiers, Benedick and Claudio; Don Pedro is wealthy, gracious, generous, courteous, intelligent, and loving to his friends and, also, really enjoys a good practical joke, but he is also quick to believe evil of others and hasty to take revenge; he is the most politically and socially powerful character in the play.

Don John: Illegitimate and therefore overlooked younger sibling to Don Pedro, and sometimes called “the Bastard”; Don John is melancholy and sullen by nature, and he creates a dark scheme to ruin the happiness of Hero and Claudio; his evil actions are motivated by his envy of his brother’s social authority.

Leonato: Parent to Hero, also delights in a good practical joke.  Has a strong sense of right and wrong and does not hold back when that is challenged. A respected, well-to-do, noble at whose home, in Messina, Italy, the action is set; As governor of Messina, he is second in social power only to Don Pedro.

Borachio: Don John's associate and Margaret's lover; conspires with Don John to trick Claudio and Don Pedro into thinking that Hero is unfaithful to Claudio; name means “drunkard” in Italian.

Margaret: Works in Hero’s household, witty and fun, has a fling with Borachio. She unwittingly helps Borachio, and Don John deceive Claudio into thinking that Hero is unfaithful; Margaret loves to break decorum, especially with bawdy jokes and teases.

Dogberry: The constable in charge of the Watch, of Messina; Dogberry is very sincere and takes his job seriously, but has a habit of using exactly the wrong word to convey his meaning; Dogberry is one of the few “middling sort,” or middle-class characters, in the play, though his desire to speak formally and elaborately like the noblemen becomes an occasion for parody.

Friar: Spiritual advisor, suggests a unique solution to the sabotaged wedding.

Conrad: One of Don John’s more intimate associates, entirely devoted to Don John.

Verges: The deputy to Dogberry, chief policeman of Messina.

Antonio: Leonato’s elderly brother and Hero's uncle; he is Beatrice’s father.

Balthasar: A waiting man in Leonato’s household and a musician; Balthasar flirts with Margaret at the masked party and helps Leonato, Claudio, and Don Pedro trick Benedick into falling in love with Beatrice.

Ursula: One of Hero’s waiting women.

Sexton: A judge and an important official, the Sexton examines Borachio and Conrade when they are captured by the Watch, and has to endure Dogberry’s attempts to question the two scoundrels.

Hugo Oatcake – First Watchman

-and George Seacoal – Second Watchman Long-suffering Watch officers. Completely confused by Dogberry, but they try to do their duty as best they can. Overhear Borachio and Conrade reveal details of their role in Hero’s downfall, and arrest them.

Messenger Arrives at the beginning of the play – kicks things off and helps to establish Beatrice’s character. May also double up as the Lord in a later scene in front of Hero’s tomb.

Extras – other Watch members, Lords and Ladies, Attendants