Group 49Emily, Megan, Kevin, Daniel

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DIRECTOR

Its interesting to read how the relationship between

two characters is a motive for revenge by another

character.

The detailed dialogue used in the play shows how

Shakespeare is poking fun on the subject of love.

Using Deception is a theme make for a perfect

plot. Most of the characters in the story

were not aware they were being deceived by another

character.

THE SCRIPT

Shame:

In 16th century, honor was of value in the society. Public shaming is something that can be used in the play as the downfall of a character

like Hero.

“SPINE” OF THE PLAY

Misleading:

It is a sense that the characters aren't who they portray

themselves to other characters.

Claudio’s painting of Hero will be a perfect example of how Hero’s

character is misleading.

The play will be presented in a naturalistic stage. Everything must feel

and look natural in order for the audience to fully comprehend the

objective in each scene.

Actors must show a real representation of the 16th century life style in which the

story takes place.

Since the English language has changed over time, actors must be familiar with Shakespearean language to portray the

renaissance era.

When acting, actors must be able to react with the environment naturally but at the same time represent a comedic style that

is present in the script.

STYLE

Benedick…Aaron Tveit

Aaron Tveit is an actor who familiar with acting on stage. He has starred in the

Broadway productions of “Wicked”, “Next to Normal”, and “Hairspray”.

Aaron would be the perfect actor to be cast as Benedict . He is capable of portraying

Benedick as a young, humorous, and likable character who takes most situation as a joke.

Since Benedict becomes interested in Beatrice, we slowly begin to see a change in

character.

CASTING ACTORS

Beatrice….Eva GreenEva Green has an impressive theatre background. Since she is familiar with working on stage it would be easier for her to take and understand stage direction.

Based on her past plays, Eva would be perfect to play Beatrice as some who is loving and generous but at the same time someone who is sharp and not afraid to speak her mind. As the play progresses, we see a more vulnerable side to Beatrice.

Claudio…Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph Levitt does a fantastic job in creating and portraying a character. He is able to use

emotional recall in order to discover the main objective of the character and project it to an

audience.

Joseph is able to represent Claudio as a young, brave soldier who had just returned from battle. Claudio is one of the most difficult character to

portray as he has plenty of emotional shifts throughout the play.

CASTING

Hero…Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams is a very talented actress who can portray many different characters. She

brings great energy to to her characters which is perfect for stage acting.

Rachel possesses a young and innocent look much like her character Hero. Hero is viewed as a girl who is sweet and innocent but at the same time makes her a vulnerable character.

Don John…Rodrigo Santoro

Rodrigo is most talented in acting as a villain of a story. Much like his character Don John, he can easily portray a dark, depressed character

who is bad tempered and can easily deceive other

characters.

Don John knows who he really is as a person. He is most

envious of his brother Pedro and hist authority. He uses

this as his motivation for his evil schemes.

CASTING

This production should focus on the theme of love, honor, and deception. It will show how each of the theme effects each of the

character as the play progresses.

Every element in the production should be done in great detail. There should be enough lighting in order for the audience to

capture the details of the set design. The audience must feel as if they were in 16th century Italy.

Minimal sound effects should be used in order to enhance a particular scene. This will help the audience understand the main

relationship between a character or could help foreshadow an event.

Although the play is comedic, it should contain a more serious tone when addressing drastic events.

DIRECTIONAL CONCEPT

SET DESIGN

To best compliment the performers for “Much Ado

About Nothing,” the Proscenium Stage is ideal.

The Proscenium Stage creates space between the audience and the performers giving the notion

that the audience are peeking into 16th Century Italy.

With the Renaissance period in full effect, a nostalgia for classic

antiquity must be relevant throughout the environment to

aid in setting the mood and style.

ENVIRONMENT

The mood and style share a direct correlation with the environment since the visual scenery the audience observes

reflects the mood.

Architecture and Art must dominate the visual scenery with emphasis on symmetry and proportion with arches and

columns all being orderly arranged which was ubiquitous in 16th Italy.

MOOD AND STYLE

“Much Ado About Nothing” relies more heavily on realistic scenery because all the element of theatre such as the costume design, grammar, environment center around

making the audience feel as if they were in 16th Century Italy.

The focus is on giving the audience the impression that this is really what and how life was in the midst of the

Renaissance period at the cultural movements birthplace of Italy.

REALISTIC VS. NON-REALISTIC SCENERY

The time period is 16th Century Messina, Italy during the Renaissance

period.

Apparent from the architecture with a spin

on ancient Rome and fine artwork.

The characters without a doubt come from a higher upbringing with detail to elegance and renaissance

humanism highlighting grammar, poetry, and

rhetoric.

LOCALE AND PERIOD

The Design Concept is particularly important in

“Much Ado About Nothing” since the time and place of the play has significantly

shifted, the exquisite setting aligned with fine artwork,

columns, and vast windows reflect the social status of the

characters during the 16th Century time period it is

portrayed in.

DESIGN CONCEPT

The Central Image the audience must be aware of is the fact that courtship

and romance were viewed more in the matter of

social betterment which was commonplace in 16th

Century Italy.

Marriage for the purpose of social betterment is a

reoccurring central image in the play since it

complicates truly romantic relationships and ties

together all the elements of theatre and is quintessential in

developing the visual concept for the audience.

CENTRAL IMAGE

COSTUME DESIGN

The clothes the characters wear are formal and elegant.

Some scenes take place in weddings, formal balls, and other special occasions.

STYLE

The men would wear mostly uniforms; since they have

returned from war, they appear more formal. Also, their uniforms

are more lightweight, giving them the ability to move freely while also reflecting the season

of summer.

STYLE

The women would mainly wear lightweight gowns,

considering the play takes place in the summer. Also,

the gowns gave the women a sense of formality and

elegance.

HERO: She wears white because she is innocent, and her simple gown gives her a

femininity that attracts Claudio to her. Also, her white gown reveals her

status as a bride.

CHARACTERS & COSTUMES

CLAUDIO: He wears a uniform because

he just returns from war; it also reflects his chivalry towards

Hero.

DON JOHN: As the villain, he wears

predominantly black on his uniform to

distinguish himself as the evil figure in the

play.

BEATRICE: Her gown is more free and more colorful than Hero’s,

which mirrors her carefree and witty demeanor.

CHARACTERS & COSTUMES

BENEDICK: He also wears a uniform to show that he has returned from the war,

but has a more colored accents to his uniform to show his witty side, like

Beatrice.

Hero and Claudio both have mainly shades of white and off-white; their subtle matching costumes hint at how they

belong together.

Beatrice and Benedick both have more colorful wardrobes compared to the rest of the cast; this shows how different

they are from everyone else, while also creating a connection to each other.

Don John is the only character that sports black as the main color. This is to show his role as the villain.

In Act II, the characters go to a masked ball and each character wears a mask. Here, the characters get tricked and manipulated, mainly by Don John, into their thoughts,

feelings, and actions. This focuses on the theme of deception throughout the play, and the mask symbolizes

how the characters conceal their lies.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

LIGHT DESIGN

Visibility focuses on illumination and mood. However, being able to see the performers and their facial expressions is the most important. It is true that unless you can see the actors or actresses, the lighting designer has not carried

out his or her assignment.

This means spotlighting every actor in the scene so the audience can see them better.

VISIBILITY

The lighting director must enhance the visual world of the play by revealing the objects in that world as interestingly

as possible.

In Much Ado About Nothing, it is important for a lighting designer should enhance all the props and visual elements on stage by not only shining the light on the front but also on the side, top, and back to make them look more three

dimensional.

SHAPE AND FORM

In theater light, focus refers to the fact that beams of

light are aimed at or focused on a specific area. Collaboration and

Compositional focus also allows a character to slip into position without the

audience ever realizing how he got there until it is time

to reveal him.

This is very important in scenes in Much Ado About Nothing especially in the

cheating scene to highlight what is going on in the other room but still showing that

other are watching.

FOCUS AND COMPOSITION

Once the predominant mood is established for an audience, the individual production areas can manipulate mood

throughout the play, especially through light.

In Much Ado About Nothing, when Hero and Claudio first fall in love the stage could have a hue of blue or pinkish

purple to make the scene more romantic. When Don John is conducting his evil plan and everyone is watching it that

stage could then me dark with not much color to demonstrate the cold, dark, evil situation.

MOOD AND STYLE

It is absolutely imperative that the seemingly simple lighting changes from scene to scene help establish the kind of

rhythm and timing that the director needs for the audience to be drawn into the

action.

Abrupt and sudden changes in the lighting might unsettle an audience, while slower

transitions gives the audience time to reflect on what has happened or what they

think may happen.

This is essential in many of the scene changes in Much Ado About Nothing such

as when it changes from scene I to scene II because it goes from excitement to

intrigue.

RHYTHM OF VISUAL MOVEMENT

Lighting must be consistent with the overall style and mood of a production.

The wrong lighting can distort or even destroy the effect of a play. While at the same time, because lighting is the most flexible and the most atmospheric visual element of theatre,

it can aid enormously in creating the theatre experience.

CENTRAL VISUAL IMAGE