The next show presented by the UWL Department of Theatre and Dance is William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. The show opens Friday, Feb. 28.
“Much Ado” revolves around two couples, Hero and Claudio, and Beatrice and Benedick. It showcases how devious plots and questions of honor lead to deception and different perceptions of truth.
In the show, Shakespeare examines how love and life are treated differently by the characters, and how one person’s thoughts about the value of love and life can impact everyone around them.
Originally performed around 1598-1599, the play’s language is in typical Elizabethan style – something potential audience members tend to shy away from.
The Racquet Press sat down with the show’s director, Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Greg Parmeter, as well as three student actors, to discuss how they’re taking steps to make the comedy more accessible and entertaining for student audiences.
While UWL’s interpretation will stay true to Shakespeare’s original language, Parmeter noted specific changes, such as cutting down the length of the show and using modern songs, as strategies he hopes will increase audience understanding.
“We’ve also updated the period – it’s not Elizabethan; we’re setting it in the immediate days after the end of World War I. [This time period] is easier to costume and perform in while staying true to the original story – problems can’t be solved by an email or text. You’re not going to see pumpkin breeches and tights and big neck ruffles,” said Parmeter.
“Much Ado” also contains songs that serve as interludes between scenes. Parmeter, along with the cast and crew, chose to introducing modern music to those scenes instead of the traditional Elizabethan style of songs.
“It’s a party, and so I wanted…students across campus to feel connected. There are five modern songs that we use in the play, and the base is the song ‘Sigh No More’ by Mumford and Sons. All of the lyrics are pulled from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’,” said Parmeter.
For the cast, building the physicality of their characters helped them not only understand the Shakespearean phrases, but helped them convey what is happening to the audience.
“The physicality helps so much for understanding the language…[the audience is] not going to get every single word – but you’re going to understand the meaning of the story,” said Joshua Kaiser, a fourth-year theatre performance major who plays Benedick.
“He’s a very physical character…because of this wit that’s so wound up within his brain, he’s very movement-based and climbing up and all around the set. There’s a moment where I climb up on top of the set and over a railing, so there’s lots of falling, lots of movements,” said Kaiser.
Benedick and Beatrice, played by Fourth-year Musical Theatre Performance Major Alyssa Meissner, are two of the main characters and are in a battle of wits throughout the entirety of the show.
“I think the most fun thing about [Beatrice] is that she kind of gets to mess around yet be true to herself…I get to say really fun insults when Beatrice argues with Benedick,” said Meissner.
Meissner also spoke about the challenge of learning Shakespeare’s style of writing.
“Getting the language down and feeling confident in speaking it sometimes can be an issue. But by running it enough and exploring your character, you get there eventually,” said Meissner.
Will Nysse, a fourth-year student majoring in theatre performance and economics, plays Don Pedro, a character who is friends with everyone and tries to set up Beatrice and Benedick throughout the play.
When asked about the nature of Don Pedro’s character, Nysse said, “[Don Pedro is] very easily manipulated, and so because of that, it’s been a little difficult figuring out okay, where can I be the good guy…and then what room is there to shift between playing as the bad guy or having a redeeming moment for him.”
One aspect of the show Parmeter hopes audiences understands before seeing the show is that Shakespeare wasn’t writing for the elite of his time.
“Shakespeare’s a lot more irreverent and a lot more dirty than anyone wants to give him credit for, because Shakespeare…[wrote] for the people,” said Parmeter.
Meissner echoed Parmeter’s sentiment, addressing student perceptions on how much of the show they’ll understand.
“If you’re afraid of not being able to follow [the storyline] because it’s Shakespeare, I wouldn’t be worried about that – the characters reiterate the ideas and say them many times, so you’ll be able to understand what’s happening,” said Meissner.
Nysse continued, “It’s more than what you learned in high school. It’s theatre that’s meant to be seen rather than read.”
If you go:
Who: UWL Department of Theatre and Dance
What: “Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare
When: Feb. 28-March 1 and March 7-8, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.; March 2 and 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Where: Toland Theatre, Lowe Center for the Arts; 333 N. 16th Street, La Crosse
Tickets: Online: $20 adults; $18 senior citizens/non UWL students; $8 UWL students. Online tickets will have a small credit card processing fee added at checkout. Patrons are encouraged to buy their tickets online and download the tickets to their phone/email. Tickets may be purchased online at www.uwlax.edu/theatre-and-dance. In person tickets: $22 for adults, $20 for senior/non UWL students/military and $10 for UWL students (processing/printing fee already included in the price); call (608) 785-6696. Box office opens Feb. 24 for in person/phone ticket sales. Box office hours are Mon. through Fri. 1:00-3:00 p.m. and one hour prior to each performance.
