Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
adapted and directed by Glenn Havlan
produced by Actors Ensemble of Berkeley
4 p.m. Saturday/Sunday June 29th - July 14th plus Thursday, July 4th.
John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre
41 Somerset Pl., Berkeley, CA 94707.
Performances are Free of Charge | Reservations | Photos | Program
Actors Ensemble presents the first of two produuctions for our Summer 2024 season in the John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre, Much Ado About Nothing, in a modern-dress adaption by Glenn Havlan and Gaby Schneider and directed by Glenn Havlan. Free-of-charge, reservations encouraged (especially for those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility) but not necessary.
Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's most-loved comedies, revolving around two couples, Hero and Claudio and Beatrice and Benedick, who seek true love despite the machinations of the villain Don John via "Nothing" (rumor, innuendo, gossip), but with the help of the intrepid neighborhood watch, led by the hapless Dogberry.
These days, so much revisionist Shakespeare attempts to decentralize the main protagonists, to invent agency for repressed characters, to change the play to convey an intended message. But we’re going to see what we get when we see and hear different people, modern people, take over the positions, intents, and language of these characters. What happens when Much Ado About Nothing is set in 2024? What if the traditional gender roles are scrambled - Beatrice and Benedick, Leonato as Leonora, Borachio and Francis? What if an inclusive society is portrayed in any and all characters and their personalities? In this way, we aim to present a 21st Century Shakespeare for Our Times, without losing what makes Shakespeare - Shakespeare.
Performances will be at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday afternoons at John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre, 41 Somerset Pl., Berkeley, CA 94707, from June 29th through July 14th plus Independence Day, Thursday, July 4th.
With: Marc Berman (Antonio), David Cesari (John), Mark Goldman (Verges), Greg Gutting (Pedro), Illan F. Halpern (Benedick), Winter Johnson (Conrade), Joan Legaspi (Balthasar), Flannery Mays (Hero), Liam Monaghan (Claudio), Erin K. Perry (Ursula), Virginia Poole (Margaret), Michele Sanner (Borachio), Francis Serpa (Frances), Samira Sheahan (Leonara), Jeff Trescott (Dogberry) and Skyler Wuolle (Beatrice).
Costumes by Lyre Alston, Set Design by Kirsten Yamaguchi, props by Susan Dunn, music by Pietro D'Amato, crew Abby Hirobe and Ana Nogueira.
The amphitheatre seats well over 300 people and consists of a series of stone steps. Low lawnchairs are acceptable, or bring pillows and/or blankets. The amphitheatre is wheelchair accessible with 5 spot, s for wheelchairs or those who cannot climb steps and need a special chair, and 8 benches for wheelchair companions or folks who cannot climb ysteps but can sit on benches , all at ground level - please make a reservation so we can reserve these spots. In addition, for those with limited mobility we will reserve places in the first few rows, which requires climbing a few steps (there are railings). No chairs are provided, please bring your own and/or pillows/blankets. For all others, we encourage you to make a reservation (and make a donation!) so we have some idea of who is coming (helps to plan concessions), but seats are on a first-come/first-served basis. There a single handicap parking spot close to the amphitheatre and some additional spots along Somerset which are reasonably accessible for wheelchairs - we encourage folks to be dropped off.
John Hinkel Park Amphitheatre is at 41 Somerset Pl., Berkeley, CA 94707. Access is via Arlington Avenue, turn right on Southampton, then continue straight onto Somerset. Note that Google Maps will direct you to locations at the top of the park along San Diego Road - quite a hike down. There is very limited parking at the amphitheatre, due to the addition of a playground which swallowed up most of the existing parking. There is some parking along Arlington, Somerset, Southhampton, and San Diego Road - we encourage folks to ride bicycles or use ride services. The closest BART station is the North Berkeley BART. The #7 AC Transit bus stops right at the corner of Arlington and Southampton.
The production lasts about two hours, including a short intermission where hot dogs, veggie dogs, and corn-on-the-cob will be available.
Cast and Staff Biographies
In Alphabetical Order
| Lyre Alston (he/him/she/her) (Costumes) is a designer working in and around the bay area in both Costume design and Wig/Makeup design/artistry. Some recent shows include The Tutor with New Conservatory Theatre Company, The Red Shades at ZSpace, and in the Panto at The Presidio. Please enjoy the show! |
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Marc Berman (he/him) (Antonio) is honored to join Actors Ensemble for the first time. After being in Sacramento for a decade, Marc moved back to the bay area and took the theater world by storm. Performing in over 30 shows in the past decade, the roles have been strewn across the spectrum. Marc owns his own make-up design company (Seduction Make-up). He wishes to thank his consort Lisa, stepson Aidan and son
Xander for their constant support.
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| David Cesari (he/him) (John) is an actor who is born and raised in San Francisco. He thanks the Actor Ensemble for this opportunity. |
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Susan Dunn (she/her) (Props) has enjoyed many production challenges at Berkeley Playhouse, Hillbarn Theatre, Altarena Playhouse, Island City Opera and AE. She particularly revels in turning trash into treasures for the stage. This is her 4th role at AE and second show at John Hinkel Park, a favorite venue. Susan is also a local theatre critic and you can find her reviews at https://aisleseatreview.com/. |
| Mark Goldman (he/him) (Verges) is excited to be with Actors Ensemble again after playing Cleante in Tartuffe many years past! Mark has acted with several companies including Marin Shakespeare, Mills College, SSFCT and the wonderful Bardophilic Theater of Othera in SF. Favorite roles include King of France in Alls Well That Ends Well and Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol. |
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Greg Gutting (he/him) (Pedro) is excited to be back on stage for the first time following the pandemic and to be playing with good friends again. Greg’s past appearances include numerous Elizabethan plays with Theater of Others and Ninjas of Drama. Most recently, he played Lady Bracknel in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest under the direction of the great Rey Carolino. He would like to express his immense gratitude to Glenn Havlan for bringing him along on this ride. |
| Illan F. Halpern (he/him) (Benedick) has acted in plays in Brazil, Canada, and the east and west coasts of the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from UC Berkeley, and a minor in Theater Arts from MIT. Illan is thrilled to be given the opportunity to play such an iconic part in this production. He was last seen on stage as the janitor in Andrew Vachss' Placebo, as part of AE's Three for Thought, Too, Plus One. Additional AE credits include Fortinbras, and the staged readings of Lysistrata and Machinal. |
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Glenn Havlan (Director) returns to AE after playing Peter Stockmann in An Enemy of the People and Dr. Ponlius in 2022's Mothers All. He appeared in Much Ado at College of Marin three months ago and was seen last year in Shakespeare in Love at the Novato Theater Company. He performed in nine shows with the Marin Shakespeare Company. Lately, he has been a regular at The Curtain Theatre in Mill Valley. This coming summer he will be appearing as Nick Bottom in Curtain's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Glenn has performed in and/or directed over forty productions of twenty different Shakespeare plays. He founded two San Francisco companies, the Free Civic Theater and the Theater of Others, staging fifty productions from 2000-2019. |
| Abby Hirobe (any) (Stage Management) is thrilled to be making her stage-managing debut with Actors Ensemble. She is a student at Galileo Academy and hopes to continue her involvement in local theater productions such as this. |
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Winter Johnson (he/him) (Conrade) is an aspiring actor who is excited to continue his theater experience thus far. He has played in several productions, one of which being Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream. In spare time, he is a UC transfer student! |
| Joan Legaspi (she/her) (Balthasar) is a Filipino-American actress who took improv classes to improve her confidence and got bitten by the acting bug. She graduated with a 2 year certificate from the Waterfront Conservatory for Meisner Technique under Rachael Adler. In her spare time she writes novels, plays electric guitar, sews Victorian clothing, and plays Stardew Valley. |
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Flannery Mays (she/her) (Hero) is ecstatic to be back with Actors Ensemble, appearing in their musical last year, Faeries of the Moonlight! Today, Flannery is ready to bring empowerment, vulnerability, and effervescence to the role of HERO in this gender- bending "heart-eating" rendition of Much Ado. Flannery is a community- oriented actor, dancer, & singer in the Bay Area. Join her journey on Instagram or Facebook: @flannerymays. |
| Liam Monaghan (he/him) (Claudio) is thrilled to be joining the Actors Ensemble this summer. Originally from Marin County, he previously attended Marin School of the Arts with a Musical Theatre concentration and is currently pursuing his BFA in Musical Theatre at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, Connecticut. |
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Erin K. Perry (she/her) (Ursula) graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in drama, and has continued her practice at A.C.T., as well as the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Some of her credits include Clark Kent Gets His Suit Cleaned, and other plays and Berkeley Shakespeare Company’s King Lear, which she was nominated for a BroadwayWorld San Francisco/Bay Area Award for Best Performer in a Play. She is so excited to make her Actors Ensemble debut. |
| Virgie Poole (she/her) (Margaret) discovered a passion for musical theater before she could walk. Though a longtime lover of acting and performing, she took a distinctly long hiatus in the pursuit of science. Please welcome her back to the stage in her first role since Jan from Grease: The Musical in 2006. Hopefully, you'll be seeing even more of her. |
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Gaby Schneider (she/her) (Dramaturg) has been studying and performing Shakespeare since childhood. She was a core company member of Theater of Others, where she initially developed this adaptation of Much Ado with Glenn. She has worked at various theaters around the Bay Area, including Marin Shakespeare, Marin Theatre Company, and Playwrights Foundation (where she is now a board member). When not on stage, she works as a staff attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid. Much love and thanks to Michael for all his support and understanding! |
| Francis Serpa (they/them) (Frances) is excited to be back in John Hinkle Park after playing Cecil last summer in AE's production of A Room with a View. Most recently they played Cornelia in Berkeley Shakespeare Company's Cymbeline, and a few of Shakespeare's other roles they've played are Romeo, Oberon, and Julius Caesar. |
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Samira Sheahan (she/her) (Leonora) has become a drama therapist by day and is delighted to return to Shakespeare after several years away. She credits most of her training to an outdoor Shakespeare camp on the East Coast, most of her sanity to the inestimable Gaurav Bajaj, and most of her insanity to her jumping sheepdog. |
| Jeff Trescott (Your Majesty) (Dogberry) has worked in many plays, both as an actor and backstage. Most recently he was in The White Card in Pinole and Kudzu at BAM. He has a BA in Mathematics from Harvard and is AE's treasurer. |
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Michele Sanner Vargas (Borachio) is thrilled to join Actors Ensemble for the first time. She most recently started in the musical The People vs. Mona at Masquers Theater and played Medda Larkin in Newsies! Her favorite roles include Anita in West Side story, Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, and Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream. Michele lives in Novato and performs five shows a day… as a high school teacher, that is. She dedicates this show as always to her father. |
| Skyler Wuolle (she/her) (Beatrice) is thrilled to return to the stage as Beatrice for her first production with the Actors Ensemble. From her earliest years at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre to music videos and feature films, Skyler brings energy and passion to every role. Offstage, Skyler works in technology marketing and resides in Kensington with her husband, Davis. You’re likely to see them walking to John Hinkel Park or out on their quest for the best slice of pizza in Berkeley |
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Kirsten Yamaguchi (she/her) (Set/Graphics) has designed many theater programs and posters and has also worked as an animator on feature films, games and more. As a youth in Los Angeles, Kirsten performed on stage in many musicals and with choirs. |
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