"MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING"
A Comedy by
William Shakespeare

SPRING PLAY 2008

• Directed by: Barbara Ridenour
• When: April 3, 4, 5
• Where: North Attic Playhouse

WITH SENIOR ETHAN Berl’s announcement on Wednesday that he would no longer be able to participate in the spring play, “Much Ado About Nothing,” a slightly amended cast list has been released.

Though it was not necessary to re-audition for new roles, a few people in the cast took the opportunity to do so during Wednesday’s rehearsal. By Thursday director Barbara Ridenour had made her decision, which turned out to be a fairly difficult one.

“For the next show, I’m going to hire a casting director,” Ridenour said. “I wish I had big parts for all who auditioned.”

The original cast list was posted Feb. 1 in an e-mail.

Berl had been cast as Benedick, a young lord of Padua (and one of the play's main roles), but a conflict with the weekend date of the play caused him to have to drop out.

Senior Grant Loos, who had been cast as Leonato, governor of Messina, has now been given the part of Benedick, and senior Michelle Gao has replaced him as Leonata. Gao had initially been set to play Ursula, a gentlewoman attending on Hero, a part which is now filled by junior Sarah Lake-Rayburn.

Lake-Rayburn has been replaced by sophomore Tianna Pittenger as Friar Frances, and Jeremy Kemball now plays Pittenger’s original part of the messenger.

The watch(wo)men have also been cast. Juniors Hannah Leskosky and Lauren Piester and sophomores Sian Best and Brittany Scheid now make up the watch.

“I think that it’s too bad that Ethan Berl decided not to do the show, but I also think that the show is still going to be very good with the cast that we have,” said Gao.

Generally considered one of Shakespeare’s best comedies, “Much Ado About Nothing” was originally published in 1600, when Shakespeare was nearing the middle of his career.

The story revolves around two sets of lovers: Beatrice and Benedick, and Claudio and Hero. Because of a series of misunderstandings, Claudio wrongly accuses Hero of cheating on him. Eventually, the two resolve their differences, and — like most of Shakespeare’s comedies — the play ends with a double wedding.

“Much Ado About Nothing” will be performed April 3, 4, and 5 in the North Attic Playhouse.

CAST LIST: “MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING”

• Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon: Carl Zielinski
• Don John, his bastard brother: Daniel McNamara
• Claudio, a young lord of Florence: Julian Hartman
• Benedick, a young lord of Padua: Grant Loos
• Leonata, governor of Messina: Michelle Gao
• Antonio, his brother: Rob Diehl
• Balthasar, attendant on Don Pedro: Zack Goldberg
• Conrade, follower of Don John: Dillon Price
• Borachio, follower of Don John: James Smith
• Friar Frances: Tianna Pittenger
• Dogberry, a constable: Deren Kudeki
• Verges, a headborough: Daniel Wilson
• Sexton: Anna Gooler
• Hero, daughter to Leonata: Jamie Weiser
• Beatrice, niece to Leonata: Hannah Lake-Rayburn
• Margaret, gentlewoman attending on Hero: Anna Cangellaris
• Ursula, gentlewoman attending on Hero: Sarah Lake-Rayburn
• Messenger: Jeremy Kemball
• Watch: Sian Best, Hannah Leskosky, Lauren Piester, Brittany Scheid
• Ensemble (watch, attendants, musicians, singers, etc.): Will Erickson, Katherine Floess, Maria Gao, Maia Gersten, Hadley Hauser, Rodney LeNoir, Marie Lilly, Diana Liu, Sierra Marcum, Aramael Pena-Alcantara, Elizabeth Russell, Serena Schatz, Ethan Schiller, Lisa Sproat, Richard Wang