1970s alive and well in production of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'

"Much Ado About Nothing," by William Shakespeare, will be the first production this fall hosted by the Southeast Missouri State University Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre & Dance.

Opening at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, the play will run seven performances through Sunday at Bedell Performance Hall in the River Campus Cultural Arts Center at 518 S. Fountain St. in Cape Girardeau.

The play's director, Bart Williams, associate professor of theater and dance at SEMO, said the story was chosen because it's something fun and light.

"It's a way to celebrate getting back to normal," Williams said. "It's a fun show. There's a lot of music in it. It's celebratory, and no one dies. I think this is a show that can welcome the community back to live performance. This show is easily understandable and relatable."

As for the story: "The giddiness of the game of love, tempered by conspiracy, inflames this witty and enchanting romantic Shakespearean comedy, where one couple strives for love, while the other are kept apart by pride," according to SEMO's website.

Originally written to take place in the 1600s in a small Sicilian port town, Williams decided to set his production in northern California during the mid-1970s. Williams said the changes were made to make the story more relatable and were also necessary because of what resources are available.

"We don't have the budget to do full high-Elizabethan costumes," Williams said. "Right now, with it being post COVID, we're trying to build up our audience so we can also build up our budget. So, we looked at what we already have in terms of costumes. We had several options, but what we landed on was the 1970s."

Shakespeare's characters were soldiers returning from a war and stopping to recover at a friend's villa. Having costumes from the '70s, Williams said he was able to align the situation in the play with soldiers returning from Vietnam. Also, since Sicily is known for making wine, Williams said setting the play in the wine country of Sonoma Valley fit perfectly.

None of the actors in the production have performed Shakespeare before, but Williams said they are doing well with the language.

Playing the role of Benedick, Matt Hernandez, majoring in musical theater, said this is his first time doing a nonmusical play.

"It's different, especially with Shakespeare — it's like, literally, a whole 'nother language," Hernandez said. "But it's been cool, week by week, how much more you understand it and how it becomes more natural to speak it. It's definitely been an experience."

For one actor, it is, literally, a second language. Haakon Fevang is an exchange student from Oslo, Norway. He is an experienced actor and attends HKSI which, translated into English, stands for the Norwegian Actor's Institute.

"It's hard but fun," Fevang said. "It's a good experience. Shakespeare is even harder than regular English. That's been exhausting but fun."

Genevieve Cortez is a musical theater major and is playing the role of Beatrice. She said she's been doing film and television roles most of her life, so she considers herself a veteran but doing Shakespeare has been a whole new experience.

"It's definitely been about learning the subtext of what we're saying and translating the dialogue as best we can for the audience," Cortez said.

Amber Marisa Cook, associate professor and coordinator of design and technology and the play's scenic designer, said people should be able to get past the language barrier, which is sometimes perceived as a bigger obstacle than it really is.

"Because if the actors know what they are saying then they should be able to convey that to the audience," Cook said. "Also, the themes in Shakespeare's play's are timeless. The design concept may update a sword to a gun, but the stories are the same as what we tell today. Love being lost and regained, family feuds — things that still resonate with people today. It sort of transcends time a little in my opinion."

Cook said one of the nice things about Shakespeare is you can imprint another time and place on it and usually it seems to help with any confusion.

"I know it helps the students because they're in clothing that at least feels familiar and they can identify with the time and place more than they would be able to if we were doing 20 pound gowns and neck ruffs," Cook said.

The music in this production also reflects the '70s era, and during auditions, Williams said he asked the actors whether they play any musical instruments.

"Our student band consists of a French horn, accordion, violin, guitar and tambourine," Williams said.

Because of staffing shortages, Cook said the students were also heavily involved in the construction and decoration of the set's Spanish-style villa.

"We had to lean on the students more than usual," Cook said. "I'm really proud of how they came through,"

For more information about the play and to buy tickets, visit www.semo.edu/river-campus-events.