1. Much Ado About Nothing Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Ty Hughes Set Design by Helen Vu Costume Design by Shreeya Upadhyay Light Design By Nathaly Aparicio

2. Cast List

3. Spine Theme: Lies and deceit can affect people in a multitude of ways. Therefore one should remain truthful for the best interest of others and oneself. To convey the relationships characters have and that everyone is connected and affected by each others actions I want to use lots of plant imagery.

4. Symbolism The Mask (worn by Hero) to symbolize how things are changed and to reflect the previous deceit.

5. Style and Directional Concept: Directing is an art-form that has grown with the development of theatre theory and theatre practice. With the emergence of new trends in theatre, directors have adopted new methodologies and are engaged in new practices. The play is going to be a mix of modern flare with classical ideas. Id like my actors to immerse themselves in their characters and study Shakespeare and England as mush as possible. A great way to visually reflect collaboration is the use of vintage items that have been refurbished into modern art (architecture, furniture, costumes, ect.) I want to pay homage to Shakespeare and classical England but keep it in a modern setting so I want these humble yet upscale characters to have a taste for vintage.

6. Setting The original play was set in the city of Messina, Italy in the 16th century The picture to the left is the city in the present. For this adaption we plan to set the play in modern day Harrogate, England in the summer of 2010. This way we are able to retain the idyllic setting similar to Messina.

7. Setting To create the outside of Leonatos home, we must add many trees. Harrogate houses plenty of trees that should be in full bloom by summer. We chose trees in lighter green and pink colors in order to create a happy and merry mood. The trees will be fake to make moving them easier. Later, these trees are used to help hang the lantern lights for the party. Many of these would help create the romantic image for the party

8. Setting For the furniture of the party, light furniture would suffice in maintaining the romantic atmosphere And for other scenes, such as the one where Beatrice and Benedict realize their love for one another, covering the backdrop with a few more trees will make it seem as if the building is farther back. The backdrop shown below is great for the production. Because this backdrop would be hard to change for scenes like Don Johns scene in his room, it would be easier to change it to where he stands on the balcony.

9. Setting Finally, for the wedding scene, it doesnt have to be too grand. But something light to keep with the happy color scheme For this, we could also reuse the furniture, lights, and lanterns used from the party. A simple wedding arch in the middle will help with the fun atmosphere. For the entirety of the play we planned to keep the lighter colors because so much of the play has a light, happy, and fun mood. For the scenes that dont, the change in lighting would help convey the change in mood.

10. Costumes The overall aesthetic for the costumes include light colors and classy cuts, as well as some glamorous jewelry. Each costume is based off the characters personality, with respect to the time and location of the present-day adaptation The costumes for the four main characters (Beatrice, Benedict, Hero, and Claudio) are shown in more detail in the upcoming slides.

11. Costumes - Beatrice Beatrice is a bit strong willed and snappy towards Benedick, so her costumes are a bit more fitted and structured. To make the costumes somewhat cohesive, the colors of her clothes are kept soft and light Beatrice will wear red shoes to symbolize her fiery personality

12. Costumes - Benedick Benedick is an all around fun guy that everyone wants to be around. His costume consists of a mix of casual and semi-formal elements that match his outgoing personality. At his wedding in Act IV, Benedick will wear a light grey, fitted suit.

13. Costumes - Hero Heros outfits will flow more than that of Beatrices. Hero is more bubbly, sweet, and innocent, and her clothes reflect her lighthearted personality.

14. Costumes - Claudio Claudio is slightly immature and has a compliant personality. His personality is severely contrasted by that of Benedick. Claudios costumes will reflect his personality in that they will consist of a more out there unusual, wacky style and quirky hats.

15. Lighting The stage lighting that will be used for this play will involve bright lighting that covers the stage to maintain the merry tone throughout the play. Light colors, such as white and yellow, will be used to add to the tone, as well. For the few scenes that take on a more serious tone, dark colors, such as purple and dark green, will be used.

16. Lighting For important monologs such as Benedicks soliloquy or when a scene involves only a couple of characters such as those between Benedick and Beatrice or Claudio and Hero, narrow stage lighting will be used. This is so the audience can have a focus on the characters, and feel as if theyre part of an personal and/or intimate moment with them.

17. Lighting For the wedding scene in Act IV, the design of the lighting will be consist of of light that focuses on Hero and Claudio and everyone that is near them. All the other background characters, such as the other wedding guests, will be in the more dimly lit areas of the stage.