Bartlett Community Theatre (BCT) was pleased to present the critically acclaimed William Shakespeare romantic comedy, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, directed by Irene Crist, at Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center in July 2009.

CAST:

Leonato = Parker Dinwiddie
Hero = Lee Bryant
Beatrice = Mary Buchignani
Antonio = Eddie Thornton
Margaret = Melissa Walker Moore
Ursula = Tracie Hansom
Hero’s attendant = Tzvetana Denkova
Beatrice’s attendant = Leslie L. Lansky
Don Pedro = Tony Isbell
Claudio = Sean Christian Taylor
Benedick = John M. Hemphill
Don John = Stephen Brown
Borachio = Christopher Tracy
Conrade = Graham Hunter Shelton
Dogberry = John Rone
Verges = Lindsey Roberts
Watchmen = Josh Caughlin, Paul Webb
Sexton = John Reed
Friar Francis = Ron Gephart
Balthasar = Michael Towle
Messenger = Josh Caughlin

CREW:

Director = Irene Crist
Producer = Greg Broy
Assistant Director = John Reed
Stage Manager = Edna Dinwiddie
Scenic Design = Bill Short
Lighting Design = Chris Swanson
Costumer = Candy Bartlett
Choreographer = Lindsey Roberts
Music = Original music composed by Bennett Foster
Properties = Sherry Nash, Shannon Murphy
Technical Assistants = Amanda Nash, Wayne Vick
Concessions = Suzy Hayden, Pat Caldwell
Assistants = Marie Broy, Sterling Church, Shelley Gray,
Josh Massey, Kate McTyre, Bob Williams

ABOUT THE PLAY:

Shakespeare’s classic play is reset in the late 1960s — the time of hippies, the Vietnam War, and the summer of Woodstock.

The play finds Beatrice and Benedick in a “merry war,” but their friends are determined that they are perfect for each other and work overtime to get them together, even though they both have sworn off marriage. Romance, comedy, music, and a few misunderstandings that are all worked out in the end make for an entertaining evening of Shakespeare, and will have the audience ultimately realizing that “All You Need Is Love.”

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:

Irene Crist, an award-winning actress most recently seen in “Little Dog Laughed,” directs “Much Ado About Nothing.” She actually began working with Playhouse on the Square 30 years ago in this very same show. Since then Crist has been seen many times at Playhouse, Circuit, and Theatre Memphis. She has directed for DeSoto Family Theatre, Germantown Community Theatre, and on multiple occasions with BCT.

“I chose to set the play in the late ‘60s because at the time women were just starting to find their voices and the split between men and women and expectations was becoming clear. Lines were being drawn. The contrast between the young impulsive and erratic love of Hero and Claudio and the more mature love of a couple in their middle years like Beatrice and Benedick is played out beautifully in ‘Much Ado’.”