Summer Rep returns to CCRI with Players' adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing

07/17/2024

The Community College of Rhode Island Players begin their 2024 Summer Repertory theater season tomorrow night at the Warwick Campus’ Bobby Hackett Theatre with a performance of William Shakespeare’s classic Much Ado About Nothing.

Directed by Sophia Blum, a stage and film actress and teaching artist for both The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theater and Moses Brown School, Much Ado About Nothing premiers Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 pm with additional shows on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and a 2 pm matinee Sunday. Tickets are available online and priced at $5 for students; $10 for employees and seniors; and $20 for general admission.

Established in 2017, the Summer Rep program offers students the opportunity to stage two classic Shakespeare works in a professional setting. Students design and produce two shows in eight weeks, replicating the environment of “summer stock theatre,” which has traditionally been a launching point for the careers of young theater enthusiasts.

Acting Managing Director Tammy Moore, a CCRI alumna and adjunct faculty member for the past 23 years in both the English and Performing Arts departments, said Summer Rep allows theater students to “take a break from the rigor of the academic school year” and focus on learning more about their craft. In addition to the invaluable learning experience, this weekend’s show is also a fundraiser for the theater students’ annual trip to the Region 1 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which honors excellence of overall production and offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing, and design. Students are selected to compete in the KCACTF based on nominations stemming for their performances during the calendar year.

“Having the summer program allows students to focus their energy on their craft and gain practical experience without the demands of academics in the background,” Moore said. “This program also brings students from outside of CCRI creating opportunities to form connections with potential mentors, make new friends, and engage with others that are going to be in the industry, which could lead to future collaborations or career opportunities. For CCRI, it has the potential to entice students to join our program.”

Much Ado About Nothing, written in the late 1500s, is a comedic play about misunderstandings, love, and deception that revolves around two romantic pairings that emerge when a group of soldiers arrive in the town of Messina, Italy. CCRI’s adaptation stars Jalen Rodriguez (Woonsocket, RI) as Leonato, the protective caring father of Hero, played by Kayla Ribeiro (Providence, RI), and the uncle of Beatrice, played by Rosa Nguyen (West Warwick, RI). Hero is soon courted by Claudio, played by Cole Stanley (North Providence, RI), while Beatrice engages in a witty war of words with Benedick, played by Audrey Lavin Crawley (Providence, RI), a willful lord whose history with Beatrice serves as a humorous backdrop throughout the play. Other main characters include Max Hayden (Warwick, RI) as Don Pedro; Ryan Alexander (Portsmouth, RI) as Don John, Don Pedro’s brother; and Elissa Parente (Cranston, RI) as Margaret.

“What I’ve always loved about Shakespeare’s work,” Blum said, “is its universality, which we lean into in this production, by not placing it in any specific time period or location. The fact that these plays continue to be so relatable all over the world, hundreds of years after they were written is why they are still so often produced and enjoyed.”

Among the many themes in Much Ado About Nothing, communication and deception arguably stand out the most; proper communication could’ve prevented many of the conflicts in the play, while various characters use methods of deception for good and evil. The title itself is often considered deceptive because while it hints that the play deal about “nothing,” there is “much ado” about a lot, including gender, friendship, infidelity, shaming, trickery, and even hypocrisy.  Through the years, Much Ado About Nothing has been adapted into musicals, romantic comedies, live performances, television features, and web series.

“I believe Shakespeare’s themes remain relevant today because they explore fundamental aspects of the human experience that transcend time,” Moore added. “His themes of love, jealousy, ambition, power, and human relationships continue to resonate to contemporary audiences and can easily fit into all cultures. Much Ado is particularly relatable because its themes of love and deception and social norms are still prevalent in our contemporary society. The ideas of romantic misunderstandings and the consequences of gossip are as real today as they were back then. Much Ado also offers many comedic moments that help enhance the understanding of the themes.“

"Much Ado is particularly relatable because its themes of love and deception and social norms are still prevalent in our contemporary society. The ideas of romantic misunderstandings and the consequences of gossip are as real today as they were back then. Much Ado also offers many comedic moments that help enhance the understanding of the themes. For example, Benedict and Beatrice try to hide their feelings and wear masks. Throughout the play, however, their masks slip, revealing their truth. In our everyday lives, we often wear masks or use deflection to hide our true feelings for fear of rejection or judgment, but also have times when we feel safe enough to share our true selves.”

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