A Big To-Do About ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at JSC

October 24, 2016

The production of “Much Ado about Nothing” by the Johnson State College student theater troupe won’t be your typical Shakespearean play. Their rendition will feature an experimental set, beaded camo costumes in some scenes and interaction with the audience, including singing and serving refreshments.

The play will be staged at 7 p.m. Nov. 3-5 and 2 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Dibden Center for the Arts. Tickets, available at the box office starting two hours before each show, will be $10 for people 11 and older and free for JSC students.

The JSC production is set in the contemporary Northeast Kingdom on a commune, as the actors prepare to throw a month-long party with large cardboard puppets and audience participation. The set will be composed mostly of pallets.

“What we are really excited about is setting the story in contemporary Vermont. Shakespeare’s characters have an incredible ability to fit in almost any circumstance even though they inhabit such extreme emotions. We have found that this story, although a comedy, touches on many serious themes that the ensemble can relate to and also many contemporary issues that Vermont faces today,” director Isaac Eddy says.

Vermonters in the cast with major roles include Ophelia Blair of Burlington as Hero, Mackenzie Brown of White River Junction as Beatrice, Rebecca Gagne of Enosburg Falls as Leonato and Sam Lewis of Jericho as Benedick.

For more information, visit http://www.jsc.edu/directory/dibden-center-for-the-arts-box-office.