My name is Mara Cohen, and I am currently on the lands of the Munsee Lenape (MUN-see len-NAH-pay), Unami (oo-NAH-mee), Unalachtigo (ooh-nah-lahch-TEE-go), and the  Lenni Lenape (leh-NEE le-NAHP-ay).

I’d also like to take a moment to consider the legacies of colonization embedded within these technologies, these structures, and these ways of thinking that we use every day. I am using equipment and high speed internet that’s not available in many indigenous communities across Canada and the United States. I invite you to join me in acknowledging all of this, as well as the shared responsibility that it holds, which is to make the best use of our time here together. And, for each of us to consider our roles in reconciliation, decolonization and allyship. 

With less than a week to opening, we’d like to offer you a look into our rehearsal process and vision for our Play On! production of Much Ado About Nothing, translated by Ranjit Bolt.  


Casting Choices

First and foremost, casting was at the forefront of our priorities for how we could tell this story in a new, innovative, and equitable way. We took into consideration identity conscious casting, inspired by Lavina Jadhwani and Victor Vazquez and reckoned with how we could incorporate these ideas into our own retelling of Shakespeare’s classic work. Our first change we did to accommodate identity conscious casting was we gender-bended the roles of Hero and Claudio (in this case, Claudia). In doing so, we wish to make a statement on antiquated and misogynistic views of chastity and virginity. In many of Shakespeare’s work (and quite frankly, a lot of plays after his), women are subjected to being inferior to their male counterparts. With a man as Hero being shamed by a woman for his virginity, it garners an interesting and important dialogue about gender roles.

Additionally, following the call of We See You, White American Theater, we ensured that at least 50% of our actors were BIPOC individuals, many of which are in principal roles. We hope that more theaters continue to follow this call to action.

Finally, we double-casted some of the principal roles with smaller, comedic roles for additional juxtaposition, depth, transformation, and for comedic relief. For instance, our actor playing Hero will also be playing Dogberry, the unscrupulous, dunderhead constable.

Rehearsal Process

While this has been a short rehearsal process, it was nevertheless artistically fulfilling. We wanted to ensure that the actors felt seen and heard in the rehearsal process and that they weren’t just a commodity to the show. We were able to engage in many thought provoking conversations about identity and messaging, which in turn strengthened our production and cultivated a safe environment for everyone involved. Theatre wouldn’t exist without the actors, and we wanted to make it that it was their show.

This show will be entirely pre-recorded and edited for a cinematic rendering of the play for livestream. These actors were able to do table work, blocking rehearsals, and filming all within a week! The show is currently being edited together by our technical director, and uses the technology as the setting for our play. We’ve been using Zoom for so long, why not make a play out of it!

Lastly, we wanted to make it known what our values were as a production team since day one of the rehearsal and artistic planning process. Our values are as follows:

  1. Communication- As a team, we hope to provide a safe space for one another, as well as our cast. If any problems arise, we will immediately assist and resolve the issue in a timely manner.
  2. Collaboration- We believe it’s important to collaborate with not only our team, but our cast for a great production. We want to celebrate our strengths and what we feel comfortable with.
  3. Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA)- We value EDIA, and as mentioned previously, we ask cast and staff members to communicate if there is anything we can do to make a safe, inclusive, equitable, and accessible space for everyone working with us.
  4. Honesty- As part of maintaining an open and safe work environment, honesty is a core value of our team. We ask that team
    and cast members maintain honesty in all of our communication.
  5. Creativity- As part of our collaboration value, it is important for us to allow creative collaboration. All ideas will be heard and considered in the production of Much Ado.
  6. Process v. Product- The Much Ado Crew believes in the process, not the product. It is important to us to let go of our perfectionist ways and focus on the experience of the production.

Much Ado About Nothing premieres Thursday April 29th at 5:30 PST/8:30 EST, and is available to stream any time May 1st and May 2nd. All streams will take place over Youtube. Tickets are available here!