Southwestern College theatre department will present William Shakespeare’s comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing” Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m.; and Thursday and Friday, Nov. 12 and 13, at 7:30 p.m.  All performances will be in the Richardson Performing Arts Center in the Christy Administration Building on the campus of Southwestern College.

According to Roger Moon, associate professor of theatre and speech at SC, the show’s production staff is entirely student driven.  

“There nothing much more exciting as a teacher than to see a talented bunch of students taking hold of the design process, committing deeply to doing their absolutely best work, and sticking to it the way this cast has,” Moon says.  “Their analysis, along with Allyson Moon as director, was one of the most insightful and energetic works of collaboration that I have seen from a design team in years.  They developed the concept of the production, researched, and have pushed and supported each other through the selection and implementation of the design. I think the final total design will be very exciting for the audience, really helping to tell Shakespeare’s story in a very contemporary way for SC’s audiences.”

Megan Morrow and Eli Rodda are the co-lighting designers and Morrow feels they have created the perfect light for the show.

“"Not very many people realize the amount of time and manpower it takes to create a world,” Morrow says.  “Every detail is a choice that has been discussed with the entire collaborative team. In designing the lights we talked about the need for warmth. The show is a comedy and it's set in California during summertime. What we've created through our lighting design is this warm glowing sunshine."

John Rohr is the scenic designer for the production and is excited to show off what he and his team have created.

“Working collaboratively on the look of this modernized play has been challenging, but so rewarding,” Rohr says.  “I really believe that we achieved a scenic look together, and I am excited to let the audience enter the world we built together.”

Director Allyson Moon adds that the usage of technology will be evident throughout the play.  Most of the cast will be on stage with a cell phone.  They will be taking selfies, and they will communicate via text message.

“We are going to project onto a screen what people are texting to each other.  We want to be sure that the audience participates in the social media frenzy of this production’s very modern world,” Moon says.

The admission charge for the show is $5 for students, $10 for adults.  Season tickets will also be sold which would be good for “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds,” and “Legally Blonde.” Season ticket cost is $25 for adults and $12 for students.