Much Ado About Nothing Show Synopsis

The primary plot of Much Ado About Nothing revolves around the courtship and scandal involving young Hero and her suitor, Claudio, but the witty war of words between Claudio's friend Benedick and Hero's cousin Beatrice often takes center stage...

The play begins as Don Pedro's army returns after a victory abroad. Benedick, a gentleman soldier, resumes a verbal duel with Beatrice, the niece of Messina's governor, Leonata.

Count Claudio is smitten with Leonata's daughter, Hero. After Don Pedro woos her in disguise for Claudio, the two young lovers plan to marry in a week.

To fill in the time until the wedding, Don Pedro and the others set about tricking Benedick and Beatrice into falling in love with each other.

Meanwhile, Don Pedro's disgruntled sister, Madame Jean, plots to ruin Hero and halt her wedding. Claudio believing Madame Jean's deception, is convinced Hero has a lover, and, at their wedding, he brutally rejects her.

With Hero in hiding and falsely reported dead, Beatrice demands Benedick to kill Claudio.

Don't want to know how it ends? Stop reading NOW!

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Tragedy is averted when the bumbling city watch, having discovered Madam Jean's treachery, arrive and clear Hero's name. With Claudio forgiven, both couples are FINALLY ready to get married.

-Courtesy of the Folger Shakespeare Library

Dylan Arredondo (Benedick) is making his CSC debut. DC/MD/VA: The Glass Menagerie (Rep Stage); Daphne’s Dive (Signature Theatre); Beauty & the Beast (Olney Theatre Center); Quixote Nuevo (Round House Theatre); Decameron, Phantom of the Opera, Snow Queen (Synetic Theater); White Snake (Constellation Theatre Company); Reykjavik (Rorschach Theatre); The Great Gatsby, Alice in Wonderland (National Players). Past Shakespeare credits include Othello, All’s Well That Ends Well, Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry V, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo & Juliet, Richard II, King Lear, Titus Andronicus, Cymbeline, Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth. (he/him) www.DylanArredondo.com

Greta Boeringer (Friar/Sexton) Macbeth, Richard III, Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); Henry V, King Lear (Baltimore Shakespeare Factory); Romeo and Juliet (Endangered Species Theater Project); As You Like It (Aaron Posner dir.), Macbeth (Craig Baldwin, dir.) Academy of Classical Acting, GWU.   

Zach Brewster-Geisz (Verges) returns to CSC where he has performed in A Raisin in the Sun (Karl Lindner) as well as the 2018 and 2019 student matinees of Romeo and Juliet (Montague/Musician). Other credits include: The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, King John, King Lear (Baltimore Shakespeare Factory); Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven (Rorschach Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (WSC Avant Bard); Oblivion, Dani Girl, Danny Boy (Unexpected Stage Company); Assassins (Pallas Theatre Collective); Kiss Me Kate (Annapolis Shakespeare Company). He teaches at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Washington, DC. www.zachbg.com 

Casey Brogan (Second Watch) is making his CSC debut as a performance intern. Casey will be entering his senior year at Towson University this fall and will graduate in spring 2023 with a BFA in Acting and a minor in Mass Communication. His previous roles include Robbie Hart in The Wedding Singer (Actors Anonymous), Officer Barrel in Urinetown (Actors Anonymous) and Daniel in The Ghost in Finished Business (Festival of New Works). 

Jordan Brown (Claudio) is making his CSC debut. Some of his other credits include Thami Mbikwana in My Children! My Africa! (Washington Stage Guild), Curtis in Time Is On Our Side (Perisphere Theatre), Steve in She Kills Monsters (Rorschach Theatre), Charles the Dauphin in King Henry VI (Brave Spirits Theatre), Bob in Bobtail Bong Bong (InterAct Story Theatre), Algernon Moncrieff in The Importance of Being Earnest (Stevenson University). https://jordanbrown8088.wixsite.com/mysite 

Anna DiGiovanni (Beatrice) is a Company member at CSC and has been seen in She Stoops To Conquer (Kate Hardcastle), Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), and Measure for Measure (Mistress Overdone and Mariana). Other DC area work includes, Twelfth Night (Her Majesty & Sons), The Revolutionists (Prologue Theatre), Venus in Fur (4615 Theatre), She Kills Monsters (Rorschach Theatre), and Pericles (Academy for Classical Acting). www.annadigiovanni.com

Emily (Emi) Erickson (Madame Jean) is making her CSC debut. Emi is an actor, music director, composer, and multi-instrumentalist new to the Washington, DC area after nearly a decade in New York. RECENT: Man Covets Bird (Spooky Action), Fantastagirl and the Math Monster (Adventure Theatre), Richard II (Her Majesty & Sons), Julius Caesar (Brutus, ACA), and  Working: A Musical (@workingindc). Emi works as a teaching artist with Shakespeare Theatre Company and Round House Theatre. MFA: Academy for Classical Acting (STC/GWU). BFA: NYU.. www.emilynerickson.com 

Kate Forton (Hero) is a Company Member with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. Previous CSC roles include Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (2018), and various roles in A Christmas Carol (2014-2019), as well as several other productions. Kate has also worked with Just Off Broadway in their productions of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rumors, New York, and Company. 

Grace Friedman (Conrade, U/s Ursula/Dogberry) is making their CSC debut as a performance intern. The Comedy of Errors (Dromio of Ephesus), Footfalls (May), 10 Out Of 12 (Eva), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Gloria and Mary Magdalene).

Abigail Funk (Margaret) is an actor and teaching artist in Baltimore. They have a B.F.A. in Acting and a minor in Anthropology from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Previous credits include She Stoops To Conquer and the 2018 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company), King Lear in OP, Henry V, and Romeo and Juliet (Baltimore Shakespeare Factory). They currently serve as the Education Director for Baltimore Shakespeare Factory and served as a teaching artist with The Studio at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company since 2018.  www.abigailfunkactor.com 

Jose Guzman (Dogberry/Antonio) is the CSC Institutional Giving Manager, a Company Member and Teaching Artist who has appeared with CSC in  A Christmas Carol, The Adventures of Pericles; Love's Labour's Lost; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Winter’s Tale; and many others. Additional productions in the DC area include Ana in the Tropics (GALA Hispanic Theatre) and Taming of the Shrew (Lean & Hungry Theatre). In 2018, Jose won the James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play, and a Helen Hayes Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train (1st Stage Theater). Jose holds an MA in Theatre from Binghamton University.  

Will Kinna (Balthasar/First Watch, U/s Claudio/Benedick) is making his CSC debut as a performing intern. He is a senior BFA actor at Towson University. Previous credits include,  Merry Wives of Windsor (Delaware Shakespeare Company); Romeo And Juliet (Arden Shakespeare Guild); Blood at the Root (Towson University). 

Molly Moores (Leonata) has been a CSC Company Member and Teaching Artist since 2011. Molly has appeared in over 30 CSC productions including: Romeo and Juliet (student matinee 2015-2020, 2022); A Christmas Carol (2014-2019, 2021); The Adventures of Pericles (2021); Macbeth (movable 2019); Macbeth (student matinee 2019); Henry IV Parts 1 and II; A Midsummer Night's Dream (2018 and 2011); The Winter's Tale; Julius Caesar; Anne of the Thousand Days; The Three Musketeers; Macbeth (2016); Much Ado About Nothing (2015); Richard II; The Taming of the Shrew (2013); Antony and Cleopatra; Pride and Prejudice; Romeo and Juliet (2012); and The Merchant of Venice. www.mollymoores.com 

Ryan Tumulty (Don Pedro) Returns to CSC after previously performing in this spring's production of Henry V. He graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009 with a BA in Dramatic Arts.  Credits include: Richard II (Gaunt and Others), Her Majesty & Sons; Flood City (Clive Keltz), Theatre Alliance (Helen Hayes Award winner, Outstanding Supporting Actor - Helen); The Trial (Multiple Roles), Synetic Theater (HHA Nominee, Outstanding Supporting Actor - Helen); Whipping: or the Football Hamlet (Coach), Long Acre Lea; Brother Mario (Bowser), Flying V Theatre, The Merchant of Venice (Antonio/Launcelot), Faction of Fools; Journey to the West (Pig/Ensemble), Constellation Theater (HHA Nominated, Outstanding Supporting Actor - Helen).

Jabari Williams (Borachio) is making his debut with Chesapeake Shakespeare Company as a performance intern. Other productions include As You Like It (Charles), Pride and Prejudice (u/s Wickham), and The Trojan Women (Greek Solider) at DeSales University. Jabari has also been in the film Sure Tomorrow, which won best “overall film” at the 2022 Desales University Film Festival. 

B'Jion Wright (Ursula) Returns to CSC after performing the 2021 production of A Christmas Carol. She has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Catawba College, class of 2018. Since then, she’s been an actor at the American Immersion Theater and A Murder Mystery company that performs in the DMV area. Some of her credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Just Off Broadway); Sister Act: The Musical (Piedmont Players); Godspell (Catawba College), and Measure for Measure (Overlea Arts Festival).  

Séamus Miller (Director) is a director, filmmaker, and a CSC Company Member, most recently appearing in Measure for Measure (Angelo) and Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 (Hal). CSC directing credits include Macbeth, Romeo & Juliet, and assistant director for Henry V. BA: Cornell University, MFA: The Academy for Classical Acting (Shakespeare Theatre Company and George Washington University). seamusactor.com.

Sarah Curnoles (Production Manager) (See Staff Bios)

Magdalene Urban (Stage Manager) Maggie makes her CSC stage managerial debut with this production. Previous CSC credits include A Christmas Carol (2021)(Assistant Stage Manager), The Adventures of Pericles (Health Safety Manager), and A Christmas Carol (2019)(Lightboard Operator). Maggie has previously stage managed Hunting and Gathering (The Theatre Department at UMBC), Rumors (The Colonial Players), Clue (The Theatre at AACC), and In The Heights (Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre). Maggie was additionally the production manager for 9 to 5 (ASGT). Magdalene holds a BA in Theatre, Design & Production from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. 

Dan O’Brien (Scenic Designer/Technical Director) (See Staff Bios) 

Lynly Saunders (Costume Designer) is a costume designer based out of Washington, DC.  Previous works include: Approaching Ali, An American Soldier, Better Gods, Proving Up (Washington National Opera), West Side Story (National Symphony Orchestra), The Barber of Seville (Glimmerglass Opera Festival), Commedia Romeo and Juliet, The Miser, Henry V (Faction of Fools), Interstellar Ghost Hour (Longacre Lea), Disco Pigs, Scenes From the Big Picture, The Space Between Us (Solas Nua) Upcoming work includes: Don Giovanni (Washington National Opera).

Grace Srinivasan (Music Director) has programmed and arranged the music for CSC productions since 2016. A soprano who performs a wide-ranging repertoire throughout the region, she appeared as a soloist in a program of works inspired by Shakespeare’s plays, If Music Be the Food of Love, with CSC artists, the Peabody Baroque Band, and the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble. Grace holds a master’s degree in vocal performance from the Peabody Conservatory and sings professionally at St. Stephen Martyr Church and the National Cathedral. www.gracesrinivasan.com. 

Sarah Phillips (Props Designer) No bio available. 

David Crandall (Sound Designer) returns to CSC after having worked on this spring's production of Henry V, as well as Henry IV Part I and II (2019), Julius Caesar (2017), Richard III (2017), and The Taming of the Shrew (2017). His past projects include sound design for Spooky Action Theater’s New Guidelines for Peaceful Times and original music and sound design for Como Agua Para Chocolate at Gala Hispanic Theater.

Christian Wilson (Technical Manager) is a Baltimore-based actor and teacher. He holds a BFA in Acting from Towson University Class of 2021. Christian has previously worked as a teacher, actor, and crew with CSC on Love’s Labour’s Lost (2019) as Dull; Macbeth Student Matinee (2019) as Angus and others, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Soundboard Operator. Most recently, Christian acted in the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s production of Body of Work (Tomas Cassian-Hunt).

Lauren Davis (Assistant Director) hails from Baltimore. Most recently she directed CSC's Veterans Acting Ensemble (The Olive Branch and Laurel Crown) in their original production, To Be A Solider. She is also a playwright and an actress. Acting credits include Love's Labour's Lost, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Antony and Cleopatra (Chesapeake Shakespeare Company); Acoustic Rooster and the Banyard Boogie: Starring Indigo Blume, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (The Kennedy Center); Corduroy, Akeelah and the Bee, Shrek the Musical, The Scarecrow and His Servant, Cinderella and Charlotte’s Web (Childrens Theatre Company); Oliver! (Theater Latté Da); Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet (Pillsbury House Theatre/Guthrie Theater); Greensboro Four and American Song Book (The Smithsonian). Television credits include America’s Most Wanted (Lifetime). She holds an M.F.A. from the Catholic University of America and a theater degree from Frostburg State. 

Rebecca Kleeman (Assistant Stage Manager) This is Rebecca's second summer working with CSC. She previously was Assistant Stage Manager for the 2021 production of The Adventures of Pericles. Most recently she was Stage Manager for Boston University STAMP's production of LIZZIE: The Musical. She is currently studying for her BFA in Stage Management at Boston University (Class of 2025).

Ben Lambert (Vocal and Text Coach) is an actor, director, and Laban and Bartenieff Movement coach. His work with Shakespeare includes stints with Shakespeare & Company, Boston Theatre Works, and the Publick Theatre. He is an Associate Professor at James Madison University. Ben is an Annapolis native and makes his CSC debut with this production.

Hannah Brill (Wardrobe Supervisor) is a costume and lighting designer from Baltimore. She is a graduate of Towson University with a BS in Theatre Design & Production and Metalsmithing & Jewelry. She is the Assistant Costume Shop manager for Towson University’s Department of Theatre Arts. Hannah is returning to CSC as wardrobe manager (Henry V, Alice In Wonderland, A Winter’s Tale, Taming of the Shrew). Other recent work includes costume design for Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes (Single Carrot Theatre), The First Thing That Happens (Acme Corporation), and lighting design for Rachel (Rapid Lemon Productions). 

Lauren Engler (Choreographer) a CSC Company Member, is a frequent stage manager with CSC and a sometimes performer. She has dance training in ballet, tap, jazz, pointe, hip hop, Spanish, and modern dance and a personal love of swing. Lauren has stage managed CSC’s productions of The Adventures of Pericles, Love's Labour’s Lost (2019), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018). She has performed with CSC in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2014), A Comedy of Errors (2015), and A Christmas Carol (2017). Lauren holds a BA in Performance Theater and Studio Art from High Point University. 

Shaquan Pearson (Intimacy Coordinator) is making his CSC debut as intimacy choreographer. He is a member of CSC's Black Classical Acting Ensemble. He has also worked on Falsettos (Summer Dinner Theatre at Montgomery College); RENT (Signature Theatre); Seven Guitars (Arena Stage); Cabaret (George Washington University). 

Audrey Kawecki (Directing Intern) is making her CSC debut. She is currently pursuing an Acting BFA at the University of Hartford. Some of her Shakespeare credits include Comedy of Errors (Dromio), Hamlet (Horatio, Rozencrantz), Much Ado About Nothing (Beatrice), Twelfth Night (Olivia), and Othello (Stage Manager). Other credits include 4.48 Psychosis (Sarah), Les Miserables (Enjolras), and Pirates of Penzance (Mabel). 

Mandy Benedix (Covid Safety Manager) (See Staff Bios)

LEADERSHIP

Ian Gallanar (Founding Artistic Director, A Christmas Carol Adaptor) In addition to founding the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in 2002, Ian has worked as a professional actor, director, and writer for more than 150 professional productions. He has directed 40 productions for CSC. Previously, Ian has served as Artistic Director for the National Theatre for Children, Minnesota Shakespeare in the Park, and the Repertory Theater of America. Ian is a proud member of the distinguished National Theatre Conference and the Dramatists Guild of America; a Helen Hayes Tribute Award, Telly Award, and Howie Award (Howard County Arts Council) winner. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he is a Member of the College of Fine Arts Advancement Council. He is Immediate Past President of the international Shakespeare Theatre Association, an organization for professional Shakespeare companies around the globe.

Lesley Malin (Producing Executive Director) is a founder of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, and served as its Executive Director since 2003. She managed CSC’s building renovation of an 1885 bank into our modern Shakespeare playhouse as well as the associated $6.7 million capital campaign. She has performed in 28 CSC productions and previously in New York. She was, for 20 years, Vice President of the Board of Trustees of The Lark, the landmark new play development center in New York City, where she earlier was Managing Director. She served for five years on the Executive Committee of the international Shakespeare Theatre Association and organized its annual conference that CSC hosted in Baltimore in 2017. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, NYU’s Arts Management program, Leadership Howard County, and LEADERship Baltimore (2018).

STAFF

Mandy Benedix (Box Office Manager) previously worked as the Audience Relations and Box Office Manager at Baltimore CenterStage. She graduated from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a BFA in Theater. She has had the pleasure of living and working in Chicago and New York prior to calling Baltimore her home.

Sarah Curnoles (Production Manager) stage managed with CSC for Much Ado About Nothing, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, Dracula, A Doll’s House, The Tempest, and Henry V. Before working at CSC, she was self-employed as a life coach. She has also worked at Center Stage as the Executive Assistant to the Artistic and Managing Directors. Sarah created and directed A Fool’s Paradise: 30 Shakespeare Scenes in 60 Minutes which was performed at the Baltimore Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, and various stages around Baltimore.

Pamela S. Forton (Senior House Manager) supports the Box Office and coordinates many of the front-of-house and patron services that make audiences feel welcome in our beautiful theater and at the Ruins.

Ron Heneghan (Director of Education) oversees education programs for CSC. More than 13,000 students attended performances in the 2018-2019 student matinee program, while the in-school residency, where CSC Teaching Artists embed in English/Language Arts classrooms as a resource for teachers and a learning experience for their students, served more than 2,500 students in Baltimore City, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Howard Counties. Ron is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. He holds an MFA from the University of Washington and a BS from the University of Maryland.

Troy Jennings (Education Manager) oversees the administrative aspects of CSC’s education program. In the past, Troy has taught at Drama Kids International of East Montgomery and Howard Counties.  His career as an actor has spanned nearly two decades. Theatre credits include productions at Everyman Theatre, Adventure Theatre, Spotlighters Theatre, The Strand Theater Company and the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory. He has also appeared in commercials, feature film and voice overs. He holds a B.S. degree in theatre from Towson University.

Kristina Lambdin (Resident Costume Designer & Business Manager) won the Broadway World Best Costume Design award for her designs for A Christmas Carol (2016). Some of her costuming credits with CSC include Dracula (2013 and 2019); The Diary of Anne Frank; She Stoops to Conquer; Alice in Wonderland; Red Velvet; Anne of the Thousand Days; The Fantasticks; Macbeth (2016); A Christmas Carol (2014-2018); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2005, 2011 and 2014); The Importance of Being Earnest; The Taming of the Shrew (2006 and 2013); Romeo and Juliet (2003, 2012, and student matinees 2015-2019); A Doll’s House; As You Like It (Broadway World Best of Baltimore Award); and The Country Wife. Broadway World named her as a top artist of the 2007 Baltimore Theatre, and she won the Greater Baltimore Theater Award for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2005). For more than a decade, she served as the Costume Supervisor for the Baltimore Opera Company and then Lyric Opera Baltimore.

Russell Laury (Porter) worked with Southway Builders on the transformation of our landmark building into a beautiful Downtown Baltimore theater before joining the CSC staff.

Michael Lonegro (Director of Operations and Finance) was the lighting designer for CSC’s Julius Caesar (2017) and has operated lighting for numerous CSC productions. Before joining CSC in 2014, he studied law at the University of Maryland and comparative literature at the University of Chicago and worked for 10 years as a university press editor. He holds a BA from Yale University, where he also designed lighting for undergraduate and graduate theatre productions.

Daniel O’Brien (Technical Director & Facilities Manager) is a founding member of CSC. Daniel has performed, designed scenery, lights, and served as Technical Director for many productions (among other jobs too numerous to name). He oversaw the construction of CSC’s theatre in Baltimore and designed the sets and lighting for Macbeth (2016); for the inaugural season plays A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard II; Romeo and Juliet (2015-2019); A Christmas Carol (2014-2019), and many others.

Miranda Solomon (Marketing & Development Assistant) assists and supports CSC’s marketing and development teams in promoting and funding CSC's work. She previously worked at Omnibus Theatre, a small fringe theatre in London, UK, as a marketing intern. She holds a B.S. in Economics and a minor in Marketing from the Sigmund Weis School of Business at Susquehanna University.

Chester Stacy (Scenic Carpenter/Painter, and Assistant Technical Director) has designed, built, and painted many CSC productions, including Alice in Wonderland, The Fantasticks, Red Velvet, and Titus Andronicus; and for Baltimore Center Stage’s Thoughts of a Colored Man and Shakespeare in Love.  Chester Creates LLC, has provided film production design for The Night Watchmen, set decoration for House of Cards and The Wire; and environmental graphics for Crunch Fitness, Royal Caribbean, Bmore Greek Grill, and Healthy Highlandtown.

Brandon W Vernon (Marketing Manager & Resident Graphic Designer) is an animator, illustrator, graphic designer, and marketer. His work has been featured on MTV.com, and he has worked for  publications and theatres around the country including the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. He has served as CSC's Resident Graphic Designer since 2019, and was the Dramaturg for Dracula (2019). He holds an MFA in Visual Communication from Jacksonville State University in Alabama, and a BFA in Traditional Animation from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Audrey Kawecki (Directing Intern) - University of Hartford
Julia Caldwell (Stage Managing) - Drew University
Casey Brogan (Acting Intern) - Towson University
Grace Friedman (Acting Intern) - Hamilton College
Jabari Williams (Acting Intern) - DeSales University
William Kinna (Acting Intern) - Towson University
Emerson Balthis (Scenic Intern) - UMBC
Jennie Hardman (Costume Intern) - UMBC
Jade Eisenacher (Marketing Intern) - Towson University
Adrienne Edwards (Box Office Intern) - Towson University
MaryGrace Ruebens (Box Office Intern) - UMBC