MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

A DIRECTOR’S CUT

One of the most crucial members in the theatre field is the director. The

director is in charge of orchestrating the production of a performance by

combining the different elements of theatre into one. The director is also in charge of choosing and modifying the

script in order to best accommodate his vision of the play.

AN INTRODUCTION TO MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Written between 1598 to 1599 by William Shakespeare, Much Ado

About Nothing is a comedy about Benedick and Beatrice, two witty

lovers who try to hide their feelings out in the open. At the same time,

Claudio and Hero are another couple who are spellbound by each and are

broken by a belief that Hero has been unfaithful.

CHOOSING THE SCRIPT

My group decided on “Much Ado About Nothing” as our play and script because it was a comedy written by Shakespeare himself, the setting was interesting and

similar to the popular, “Romeo and Juliet”, as it is in Italy.

As the director, I wanted to keep the play authentic to its time period. Even though the play can be too long to fit into the standard one and a half hours to two hours time frame, it is important for me to utilize the entire script that Shakespeare had originally intended to use. This

would mean the inclusion of all of the minor characters and lines in order to capture the entirety of the play that

Shakespeare originially created.

CASTING

Casting is hugely important in theatre. The actors and actresses chosen will have to embody the

characters of the play to the best of their ability. It is up to the director to find people that fit the description of

the character both visually and emotionally.

The next few slides will contain the main characters along with the

actor/actress I believe would be able to assume the role

MICHAEL CAINE AS LEONATO

Michael has been involved in films such as Batman

Begins and The Dark Knight. In these films, he plays characters who are

serious, but has a sense of humor. He creates a father-figure of sorts for the main

character. He would do well as a nobleman as his

roles are butlers who know how to be ‘posh’.

ANNE HATHAWAY AS BEATRICE

Anne Hathaway possesses comedic experience and

could also believably achieve a masculine look, while retaining that distinct

femininity about her. She would be able to become the

strong-willed and clever woman Beatrice is. Anne is my preferred choice for the

role of the heroine.

ASHTON KUTCHER AS BENEDICK

Benedick is the witty and clever version of Beatrice.

Ashton would play this part well since he is such a

proud and egotistic man, yet can also be extremely

funny. He’d had experience by acting in a multitude of roles. His role in Butterfly Effect showed his variety

in acting.

JOSH HUTCHERSON AS CLAUDIO

Josh Hutcherson is a new face in modern acting. He

has risen as a new compassionate and strong actor in Hollywood. This

would be great for Claudio, as Claudio is a young

soldier who falls in love with Hero. Josh’s latest

role in Hunger Games show his compassion and blindness to love.

EMMA STONE AS HERO

Emma is a beautiful young face to acting

which makes her perfect for Hero. Hero is

characterized as lovely, gentle, and kind. She is also accused of lechery

and is revengeful. Emma’s performance in Easy A shows that she can accomplish being

revengeful and dealing with accusations.

BRAD PITT AS DON PEDRO

Don Pedro is characterized as the “Prince”. He is generous, courteous,

intelligent, and compassionate. As a

philanthropist in reality, Brad Pitt shows these

characteristics on and off the stage. Brad’s role in

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button showcase

his intelligence and compassion.

PETER DINKLAGE AS DON JOHN

Described as envious and dark, Peter would play

Don John perfectly. Peter’s recent roles in the Game of Thrones series layout his villainous part

as Don John. Peter’s dwarfism would be great

as a reason for his betrayal and accusations

of Hero.

MILA KUNIS AS MARGARET

Margaret is Hero’s servant. Although honest, Margaret is seen not as clever as the rest of the

characters. Mila could play this role with her various roles as a ‘dumb’ female character who is tricked frequently. This is seen in

her role in That ‘70s Show.

TOM FELTON AS BORACHIO

A lover of Margaret and a trickster throughout the play.

Tom Felton can easily play Borachio. Tom’s role in Harry Potter show his wickedness

and his age make him compatible with Maraget’s

actress. With his experience, Tom can be believable as the

supporting actor of Don John’s scheme to frame Hero.

SPINE AND THEME OF THE PLAY

Much Ado About Nothing is not a play that can be easily described by a single spine or theme. For this reason, I will attempt to choose the best description for both

Spine: The play follows the spine of “Finding true love”, the play culminates with the characters finding true love. Beatrice and Benedick, Claudio and Hero, Margaret and Borachio ultimately end

up paired together throughout the play.

Theme: While the spine focuses more on love, I believe the themes in this play are the importance of honor during courtship and the transient nature of respect and reputation. The importance of

honor is shown through plots with Hero where it appears that she is not being faithful, even though it is misinterpreted. The transient nature of reputation and respect can be seen

throughout the play as well. Small things can affect the reputation of a character very quickly and negatively impact the level of respect they receive.

As the director, the spine and theme identifies above should be the main focus. As such, actors should be informed and scenes must be established in ways that emphasize both the

theme and spine. Examples of usage of set elements to achieve this include focusing lights on a couple embracing or wardrobe changes for deceived characters (Claudio may wear white

at the beginning of the play, then wear black when he believes Hero is unfaithful and disgraces her.).

By: Aum Patel

COSTUME DESIGN

HISTORICAL PERIOD

•Widely regarded as on of Shakespeare’s best plays, Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy that was most

likely written between 1598-1599, during the Elizabethan era.

•This era was also referred to as the English Renaissance, as many elements of theatre were

changing during the time period. •Costumes in this play should accurately reflect the traditional garb worn by citizens of the time period•This will help the audience better imagine the time

period and better experience the play

PRODUCTION STYLES

•Costumes will resemble the old-fashioned times and will appear as they did in the late 16th century•A disparity in clothing can be seen between the

different economic classes, as the wealthy will have elegant clothing while the working class will be

dressed in more casual attire•A wide economic gap existed in this time period, as

there were many very affluent people, but also many poverty-stricken people who lived day to day

Differences in attire in the play can help the audience differentiate economic statuses of

characters

CHARACTER COSTUMES

BEATRICE

•Beatrice, the niece of Leonato, is depicted as a wealthy woman in this play

•As a strong-willed woman who believes that a woman should be completely independent, she

dresses like a tomboy (harem pants) at the beginning of the play, disregarding her

“obligation” to dress properly•As the play progresses, she becomes more “lady-like”; the costumes she wears throughout the play should evolve in order to show this progression of

her character

Tomboyish attire at the beginning of the play

More elegant dress towards the end of the play

BENEDICK

•Benedick is a great soldier who is in the service of Don Pedro

•Due to his status as a soldier, Benedick will be seen mostly in his military outfit

•As the play progresses and Benedick becomes more infatuated with Beatrice, he starts to wear

more elegant clothing•An example of this is when Benedick wears a

formal vest at Hero’s first wedding, forgoing his usual military attire

Benedick’s late 16th century military costume

Later in the play, Benedick wears a formal vest to Hero’s wedding

CLAUDIO

•Claudio is also a high-ranking officer who is under Don Pedro.

•Claudio is a more qualified soldier than Benedick, however, which is why he wears his military attire

to all formal events such as Hero’s wedding•This shows his high-ranking as an officer

compared to Benedick, who chooses not to wear the military attire to the wedding

•This also shows his high status in society, as soldiers, especially elite soldiers, were held with

high regard

HERO

•Hero is supposedly the main female lead character in the play, although Beatrice is

often viewed as more important•Hero is dressed very formally throughout

the play, wearing elegant dresses to reflect her high social status. She is also seen

wearing pearls in the first act, again reinforcing her family’s wealth

•For both of her weddings, Hero wears a traditional white wedding dress

DON PEDRO

•Don Pedro is viewed as the most socially powerful character in the play as well as the most politically

powerful character•His costume in the play is limited to his military

attire, which reflects his high social standing•He is the leader of both Claudio and Benedick, so

his military costume will feature more visible accolades than that of the other two

•He is often referred to as “The Prince”; again his costume will reflect his upper-class standing in

society

DON JOHN, CONRAD, AND BORACHIO

•Don John is the villain of the play, but the audience should not be able to tell solely through his costume•Don John will resemble the characters of Claudio,

Benedick, and Don Pedro in the manner that he will be wearing his military uniform

•Unlike a couple of the other military men, Don John will be seen strictly in his military uniform throughout the

entire play• His evil actions alone should make him into a villain, with no aesthetic difference from protagonists in the

play•Both Conrad and Borachio will also wear the military

uniforms, as they are associates of Don John

LEONATO

•Leonato is the governor of Messina in the play, which means that his costume will reflect his high

status•He is not a soldier, however, which will make him one of the few upper-class male characters who

will not be wearing a military uniform•He will be dressed in very elegant clothing,

possibly even condsidered a little bit flamboyant, in order to stress his extreme wealth in

comparison to the other characters in the play

MARGARET AND URSULA

•Margaret and Ursula are seen in this play as women who are of a lower-class

•They are both waiting women, meaning that they are assistants to higher ranking

women (in this case Hero)•Their costumes will both be rather plain

clothing, rather than having the elegance of Hero’s formal dresses

DOGBERRY AND VERGES

•Both Dogberry and Verges are policeman in Messina throughout the play

•The two characters are never dressed casually throughout the entirety of the play, meaning that they will only be seen in their policeman uniforms•Dogberry is the chief policeman of the Watch, so his uniform will have a little bit more distinction

than Verges•The costumes will be colored slightly differently in order to help the audience differentiate between

the two characters

BALTHASAR AND FRIAR FRANCIS

•As a musician and waiting-man in Leonato’s household, Balthasar will be

dressed as a lower-class member who will be seen often with a musical instrument•Friar Francis will be dressed in traditional attire that was worn by friars in the lath 16th century; this will be the color brown and will be accompanied with a necklace

with a cross on it

Balthasar Friar Francis

By: Ryan Nguyen

SET DESIGN

• Much Ado About Nothing is regarded as a comedic play written by William Shakespeare roughly around 1598-1599.

• It is considered one of his best comedies because it combines several elements like hilarity and serious matters like honor, shame, and court politics.

• The play was written and took place during the Renaissance Period.

• Much Ado About Nothing is set in Messina at the Governor’s house (Leonato), a port on the island of Sicily. Sicily was ruled by Aragon during the setting of this play.

• The set of this play would closely resemble designs of the Renaissance period with Sicilian influence to help the audience visualize and experience the play in that time period.

HISTORICAL PERIOD

• The play mainly revolves around Leonato’s (The governor of Messina) home and the grounds of his property.

• The main set would be within Leonato’s house. Many scenes take place within different rooms of the governor’s house.

• Other minor sets would be other places among the estate like the garden or the orchard of the house and also the prison.

• For this play, the best thing would be to use one main set that could be manipulated to reveal another set for another scene.

•

SETS USED

SET PICTURES

• This production is more comedic and satirical. So as the stage designer I would create a set that would help show that this play is very comedic.

• A very elegant and stylish set design would be used to portray a high aristocratic society that would contrast the very childish actions of the actors.

• The style of this play would be very classy and elegant, yet allowing room for comedy.

MOOD AND STYLE OF THE PRODUCTION

• This play takes place around the Renaissance period.• The play is set in Messina, Sicily. The set design

would reveal Sicilian influence on styles that closely resembles that of during the Renaissance period.

• The set would most likely be the Governor’s (Leonato) house and his surrounding property (orchard, garden, church).

• The period and time frame in which this play takes place can be established to the audience through the style and designs of the set and its props.

THE PERIOD

SET DESIGN IDEAS

Since many scenes revolve around the house, the house could be used as the main set piece while little scenes like the garden or the orchard could be created by adding back drops like in this picture to the left.

SET DESIGN IDEAS

A movable front piece could be created so that it could be double sided as well. That way one side, when arranged correctly, could portray the outside of the house. And turning the pieces around to the other side and arranging it correctly could reveal the inside part of the house (rooms) used for other scenes.

SET DESIGN IDEAS

Many props can be used like fake plants in pots to simulate the orchard and garden scenes. Also props could be used to portray the church scene as well. It is important to keep in mind that these props must fit the theme from the Renaissance period with Sicilian influence. With these props and set

designs, lighting is crucial to help the audience visualize the artwork arranged. The lighting can help a lot with the set and help create the mood or tone of the scene as well.

• The opening scene takes place before Leonato’s house, so this could be portrayed to be outside of the house before the characters come inside.

• This particular scene would be re-used in scenes:• Act 1, Scene 1• Act 5, Scene 1

SETS FOR EACH SCENE

• The most used scene is probably different rooms inside Leonato’s house.

• The best set to be used in this case would the inversion of the outside of the house to reveal the inside of the house and the separate rooms.

• That way different rooms can be used as the focal set but the same set can be used for many different scenes.

• Scenes that would repeat this set:• -Act 1, Scene 2• -Act 3, Scene 2• -Act 2, Scene 1• -Act 3, Scene 5• -Act 5, Scene 4• -Act 1, Scene 3

SETS FOR EACH SCENE

• Another set to be used would be an orchard for the scene that takes place in Leonato’s orchard.

• Something simple as a backdrop of an orchard could be used here with several orchard props to help give off that orchard scene feel.

• Scenes that would use this set:• -Act 2, Scene 3

SETS FOR EACH SCENE

Something similar to the picture featured in the right could be used as the orchard backdrop. It would be adjusted accordingly to fit the scene.

• Another set that needs to be implemented would be for the scene involving Leonato’s garden.

• This can be accomplished like the orchard scene with a garden back drop and props.

• Scenes that would use this set:• -Act 3, Scene 1

SETS FOR EACH SCENE

• The last major set design that would need to be implemented would be those for the church scenes.

• This can be accomplished through many ways by either having another back drop or actually using church props and pieces.

• Since it is suppose to be an elegant scene, actual church props and pieces should be used as opposed to the back drop to satisfy this.

• Scenes that will use this set:• -Act 4, Scene 1• -Act 5, Scene 3

SETS FOR EACH SCENE

By: Bryan Lee

LIGHT DESIGN

• Helps focus the moment• Keeps the flow transitioning from point to point• Refines the audiences perception of the entire play• Let’s the director selectively decide what the audience

sees

IMPORTANCE OF LIGHTING

The goals of a light designer would be to collaborate with all the other artists in highlighting each other and connecting the different aspects of spectacle into one

whole production.

SET AND LIGHT DESIGN

Messina. Before Leonato’s House

Use a full spectrum light to mimic daylight on the screen

ACT I SCENE I

Characters

CharactersCharacters

Transition Into: Fade In with LightsTransition Out: Fade Out Lights to shift set

A room in Leonato’s House

Using a dimmer (yellower/warmer) light with the assistance of a spot light emphasizing Leonato and Antonio

Perhaps a light from a window in the set to show the daylight

ACT I SCENE II

Leonato

Antonio

Transition Into: Fade In with LightsTransition Out: Let music play and slightly change set with Exuent

A hall in Leonato’s House

A bright central light with an overall cooler light

Accentuate the background as a ball and social

ACT I SCENE III

Characters

Transition Into: Allow set to be moved into place with musicTransition Out: Fade Out with Lights

A hall In Leonato’s House

Using a warmer light and liven up the scene compared to the last set have everything illuminated with a chandelier or other substitute

Have dancers and other guests dancing and

ACT II SCENE I

Chandelier

Characters

Guests

Dancers

Guests

Dancers

Transition Into: Fade in with LightsTransition Out: Shift Set with Music

Another room in Leonato’s House

Illuminate entire set to show that the setting has indeed changed and allow actors to accentuate the moment.

ACT II SCENE II

Characters

Transition Into: Finish Shift of SetTransition Out: Fade Lights out like a sunset

Leonato’s Orchard

A warm and red/orange sunset type of lighting to place a time on the situation. As the scene progresses have it end with the sun completely set and the people walking into the house for

dinner

SCENE II SCENE III

Characters

Transition Into: Allow “sun” to setTransition Out: Fade out with lights

Leonato’s Garden

A dark garden scene with dimmed spot lights on the actors have Beatrice hidden with a dark blue light behind the trees.

Only have the bright lights follow Hero and Ursula

ACT III SCENE I

Moo

n

Light

CharactersCharacters

Dark

lig

hti

ng

for

Beatr

ice

Transition Into: Fade into lightly with dark lightingTransition Out: Fade Out With Lights

A room in Leonato’s house

Have a strongly lit foreground with a dimmer background. Everyone enters and approaches the front as they “go aside” with a speaker while the people not speaking will make their way to the

back.

ACT III SCENE II

Characters

Characters

Transition Into: Fade into with LightsTransition Out: Fade Out with Lights

Messina. A street.

A cool lighting scheme with a moon to allow the audience to realize that they are indeed outside and in the streets.

ACT III SCENE III

Stro

ng

Moo

nlig

htCharactersCharacters

Transition Into: Fade Into with Dark LightingTransition Out: Fade Out with Lights

Hero’s apartment

Simulate morning with rising light that could mimic a sunrise. As Ursula wakes Beatrice it should be a full daylight.

ACT III SCENE IV

Characters Characters

Transition Into: Fade into with Lights simulating a sunriseTransition Out: Shift Set with Music

Another room in Leonato’s House

In the same brightness show Leonato meeting with The Watch

ACT III SCENE V

Characters Characters

Transition Into: Finish set transitionTransition Out: Fade out with Lights

Messina. Inside a church

Start with a beautiful depiction of a church and wedding. Slowly heat the atmosphere with light shades of orange as the conflict rises and cool it down

as the friar resolves the conflict

ACT IV SCENE I

Friar

Characters Characters

Transition Into: Fade in with LightsTransition Out: Fade Out with Lights

Messina. A prison

A cold place with only one ray of light shining down on the prisoners Borachio and Conrad

ACT IV SCENE II

Ray

Borachio and Conrad Characters

Characters

Transition Into: Fade in with LightsTransition Out: Fade out with Lights

Before Leonato’s House

A full spectrum light to emulate sunlight on the road to Leonato’s house

ACT V SCENE I

Characters

Transition Into: Fade In with LightsTransition Out: Fade Out with Lights

Leonato’s Garden

Have a warmer late day light a more yellow hue in lighting which also reflects the intensity of the situation

ACT V SCENE II

Characters

Transition Into: Fade in with LightsTransition Out: Fade Out with Lights

Messina. Inside a church

Early in the morning which implies a white or bluer light on the grave at which Claudio is mourning the death of Hero which hasn’t happened. Try to confer a true feeling of sincerity in

Claudio to show the cruelty in the situation

ACT V SCENE III

Characters

Transition Into: Fade in with Dark LightingTransition Out: Fade Out with Light

A room in Leonato’s House

In this light show a white light of that illuminates the truth on a situation

The intensity of the light also signifies the ending of the play

ACT V SCENE IV

CharactersCharacters

Characters

Transition Into: Fade in with LightsTransition Out: Fade out with Lights… Curtain Call