Student cast and crew members and director Megan Sanborn Jones drew inspiration from BYU's theatre study abroad in London
BYU theatre will transport audiences to the Globe Theatre in "Much Ado About Nothing." (Madeline Mortensen/BYU Photo)
The Department of Theatre and Media Arts invites audiences to step back in time as the Pardoe Theatre transforms into a sunny afternoon at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre for BYU's production of "Much Ado About Nothing."
The seeds for the immersive staging of the comedy were planted when director Megan Sanborn Jones attended a show at the London Globe during a BYU theatre study abroad two years ago.
"It was one of the most vibrant things I've ever seen," said Jones. "I wanted to bring this same encounter back to BYU so audiences here could experience Shakespeare done as Shakespeare might have done it: on an empty stage, wearing Elizabethan clothes, on a sunny spring afternoon, accompanied by pipers and a lute. This is one of the best parts of a BYU education — the opportunity to learn through experience and then apply that experience to all that comes after."
The student cast hopes that campus audiences bring a lively energy to the show and embrace a more interactive theatrical experience than they may be accustomed to.
"Until you've actually made eye contact with an actor and they're delivering lines directly to you, you don't fully understand the depth of a connection you can have with what's happening on stage," said Wing. "I hope that the audience feels like they can participate in the show and yell, laugh or even boo when they feel so inclined. This is such a joyful production! We want the show to be very engaging and hope to do our part so that the audience feels comfortable engaging with us as we tell the story."
Read more about the production and find tickets at byuarts.com.