Students, staff, alumni team up for “Much Ado About Nothing”

Those involved with a production of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” at East Carolina University this weekend hope the audience sees that Shakespeare’s plays are relatable and and that his themes continue to have relevance today.

From left, Thad Aley, Emma Laughinghouse ’25 and Jacqueline Nunweiler ’24 perform a scene from the wedding in an ECU production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” (Photo by Jessica VanderKolk)

The show is a lighthearted, modern take on the comedy. It follows two couples — Claudio and Hero, whose love is tested by deception, and Beatrice and Benedick, who engage in a witty battle of words before realizing their true feelings for each other. With mistaken identies and clever schemes throughout, love ultimately triumphs.

ECU’s School of Theatre and Dance (SOTD) and The Shakespeare Guild present “Much Ado About Nothing” in the Archie R. Burnette Jr. Studio Theatre at the Messick Theatre Arts Center on Main Campus. Performances are at 7 p.m. today, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free to all.

Kieran Eustace will be a senior this fall, working toward a bachelor’s in acting. He is also co-president and founding member of the SOTD’s student organization The Shakespeare Guild, formally Pirates Upon Avon. “Much Ado” is not one of Eustace’s favorite Shakespeare plays, but they found a new appreciation for it in the performance. Eustace plays Don John, one of the primary antagonists.

“I would say he’s kind of a sympathetic villain because his entire motivation is really that he just feels inadequate,” Eustace said. “Something I always take issue with in Shakespeare comedies is that he doesn’t flesh out the villains enough; it’s not that I don’t like Don John, it’s that I dislike how Shakespeare wrote him.

ECU alumni Noelle Sylvia ’24, left, and Jacqueline Nunweiler ’24 perform a scene in an ECU production of “Much Ado About Nothing.”

“Having to find a way to stand out and make my character’s intentions and goals obvious to the audience, with a limited amount of lines and stage presence, has been a unique challenge.”

Another challenge for the cast was the professional production schedule. Chad Rasor, an arts production specialist and adjunct faculty in SOTD, directed the show. Every other summer SOTD creates a big musical production, and Rasor wanted to offer a show during the off year, and on a more professional time schedule — three weeks, which is shorter than the time students have during a semester.

“I have a passion for Shakespeare,” Rasor said. “I’ve always wanted to direct this show. I love all of Shakespeare’s shows, but I love the comedies a lot.”

While the SOTD often invites alumni to particate in larger productions, “Much Ado” features cast members who are ECU alumni and staff, alongside students. Rasor said he wanted to make the play available to anybody who was interested.

Thad Aley plays two characters: Verges, one of the constables of the Night’s Watch, and Friar Francis. He is the SOTD’s administrative support assistant and is involved in several community theatres in the area. He also appeared in ECU’s production of “The Green Book” in February.

“I’m always looking out for the next chance to be on stage,” he said. “Theatre is truly one of my passions. It’s finally a chance for me to be involved in a Shakespeare production, and I did not want to pass up the opportunity to work with the amazing cast and crew made up of ECU SOTD students and alumni.”

One of those Pirate alumni is Jacqueline Nunweiler ’24, who plays Beatrice. Since graduating, she has worked with the Bright Star Touring Theatre out of Raleigh and the Tennessee Shakespeare Company, and she teaches sewing classes in Greenville using her minor in costume technology.

She saw Aley post on social media about the “Much Ado” auditions, and knew she wanted to be involved.

“A lot of acting work is finding out about auditions through the network,” she said. “I’m very famililar with almost everyone in the cast.

“I do love this show, and Beatrice, for a good portion of actors, she would be a dream role at one point in your life; she’s super sassy and she’s smart.”

Audiences will hear the “Much Ado” cast speaking in the early modern English from that time period, but with modern context.

“If you just take a a little time and let yourself sink into the language, then you’re locked in,” Nunweiler said. “Shakespeare is timeless; people say it and they say it for a reason. We really have been telling the same stories for thousands of years.”

More Shakespeare this Fall

Shakespeare and Halloween lovers alike can look for more from The Shakespeare Guild in October, with the group’s annual “A Night of Spooky Shakespeare” showcase.

Any ECU students can participate in the event. Student directors choose and present spooky and eery scenes or monologues from Shakespeare plays. Look for more details from the guild this fall to participate and/or attend.