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Much Ado About Nothing

Much Ado About Nothing

cutting and notes by John Minigan from the original by Shakespeare

The sparkling wordplay of Beatrice and Benedick are at the centre of this romantic comedy, which also brims with villainy, schemes, and deceit.

Comedy Classical Adaptation Shakespeare Shakespeare in an Hour

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

Running Time
About 45 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
16 Characters
5 M | 4 F | 7 Any Gender, Doubling Possible
Set
Interior and Exterior
Length
26 pages
Free Excerpt

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Performance Royalty Fees

Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

16 Characters
5 M, 4 F, 7 Any Gender, Doubling Possible

Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.


MALE:
DON PEDRO [M] 53 lines
A Prince from Aragon. Benedick and Claudio’s commanding officer.
DON JOHN [M] 27 lines
Don Pedro’s bastard brother.
BENEDICK [M] 72 lines
A soldier. In a relationship with Beatrice.
CLAUDIO [M] 42 lines
A soldier. In a relationship with Hero.
FRIAR FRANCIS [M] 13 lines

FEMALE:
BEATRICE [F] 60 lines
Leonato’s/Leonata’s niece. In a relationship with Benedick.
HERO [F] 24 lines
Leonato’s/Leonata’s daughter. In a relationship with Claudio.
MARGARET [F] 5 lines
Gentlewoman to Hero.
URSULA [F] 11 lines
Gentlewoman to Hero.

EITHER MALE OR FEMALE:
LEONATO/LEONATA [A] 51 lines
Governor of Messina. Hero’s father and Beatrice’s uncle.
BORACHIO/BORACHIA [A] 17 lines
Follower of Don John.
CONRADE/CONSTANZA [A] 11 lines
Follower of Don John.
DOGBERRY [A] 22 lines
A constable.
VERGES [A] 13 lines
A police recruit.
MESSENGER [A] 5 lines
SEXTON [A] 4 lines

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cutting and notes by John Minigan from the original by Shakespeare

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The Comedy of Errors

cutting and notes by John Minigan from the original by Shakespeare

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Hamlet

cutting and notes by Lindsay Price from the original by Shakespeare

A one act annotated version of Shakespeare's tragic tale of murder, ghosts and revenge.

Much Ado High School

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What if Much Ado About Nothing took place at a high school dance? An enjoyable introduction to Shakespeare with lightning-fast pace and snappy dialogue.

The Taming of the Shrew

cutting and notes by Lindsay Price from the original by Shakespeare

A one act annotated version of Shakespeare's controversial tale about the relationships between men and women.

From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre

April Reading List: All Things Shakespeare
Featured Plays

April Reading List: All Things Shakespeare

As April takes centre stage, we're diving into the world of all things Shakespeare. With incredible plays, adaptations and playful parodies, we're here to help you bring the world of Shakespeare to life, whether it's in your classroom or on the stage. So grab your favourite quill and parchment, and let's celebrate the Bard's birthday in style with these phenomenal plays!
Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First Time
Acting

Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First Time

If you’re a drama teacher, Shakespeare should make it onto your stage at some point. But what if you’ve hated him since high school yourself? Shakespeare is a great challenge—one that is easier to embrace than skydiving. On the Drama Teacher Podcast, we heard from two teachers–Heidi Frederic (Romeo & Juliet) and Hilary Martin (Much Ado About Nothing)–about their experiences directing Shakespeare for the first time. They have some great tips to share! 1. Ask for help Heidi says: ‘I was calling all the troops to help me out. “I cannot do this alone!”’ In this day and age, you don’t have to go it alone. Where it’s a workshop in your area, an experienced teacher at a neighbouring school, or even just online—there are many place to access help. Here are a few resources to get you started: • No Fear Shakespeare • Drama Resource • Look for online exercises (like this one on Iambic Pentameter) • The Drama Teacher Academy • eDTA Open Forum through Educational Theatre Association Hilary notes: ‘Your English teacher is your friend…don’t be afraid to collaborate with the English teacher.’ Call on those who’ve taught Shakespeare in a different context, especially when the students are decoding the script. 2. Consider a variety of script options There are so many ways to skin the Shakespeare “cat” and make it manageable, especially the first time. Consider: • Adaptations • Abridged versions • One acts vs. full lengths Here are some Theatrefolk resources and plays to get you started: • Romeo and Juliet 1-hour cut with annotations • Much Ado About Nothing 1-hour cut with annotations • Shakespeare adaptations and parodies including Drop Dead, Juliet! & Much Ado High School • Shakespeare in an Hour • Solo-Speare a collection of Shakespeare Monologues • Scene-Speare a collection of Shakespeare Scenes 3. Find something to connect to and pull it into your comfort zone When you’re doing something far out of your comfort zone, there are ways to find a little comfort. Find something that you connect to and that you relate to, to make your experience smoother. For example, Heidi adapted Romeo and Juliet and set it in 1994 Seattle with a grunge theme. She says: ‘It helped the students understand the story and the language a lot better.’ Hilary’s students identified Much Ado as a soap opera, which helped them latch on to how they could act extremes in the play. She notes: ‘The over the top acting will also help the audience, who may not have had a lot of exposure to Shakespeare.’ • Read this blog post about setting Shakespeare in another time. • Read this one about putting Shakespeare in context. 4. Consider the unique rehearsal process with Shakespeare Consider pre-rehearsal activities to get students more familiar with the material. In Hilary’s case, her group watched film versions of Much Ado About Nothing, browsed lesson plans, and looked at small parts of the language. Expect that you (as a director) and the actors will have to look at the language and analyze the script a lot more closely. Heidi found No Fear Shakespeare books to be helpful, as well as taking the time for a close reading of the material. It’s critical to take an intensive look at the phrasing and wording, so that students aren’t just up there saying the words. They need to know the story and what’s going on. Hilary relates: ‘The key is going slow.’ She and her students spent a lot of time just reading through the scenes and stopping to analyze whenever the language got confusing. Embrace the challenge! Ask yourself: “Why not Shakespeare?” For more inspiration, check out these Drama Teacher Podcasts:• Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First Time • Teaching, Performing, Directing Shakespeare • Shakespeare from the Outside In
Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First Time
Podcast

Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First Time

Episode 169: Drama Teachers Directing Shakespeare for the First time If you’re a drama teacher, at some point Shakespeare should make it on to your stage. But what if you’ve hated him since high school yourself? Shakespeare is a challenge, it’s a great challenge and one that is easier to embrace than sky diving. Maybe. Listen to a couple of teachers talk about their first time battling the bard.
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