The document provides information about the production of William Shakespeare's play "Much Ado About Nothing" including details about set design, lighting, costumes, and the director's role. It discusses how these elements will convey the late 16th century setting of Messina, Italy and capture the themes of love, marriage, and jealousy in the comedic play. Key details include period-appropriate costumes to reflect social class, natural lighting to set the mood, and casting notable actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson in lead roles.
1. Much Ado About
Nothing
Written by William Shakespeare
Presented by Norah Truong, Ben O’Connor,
Immanual Peterson, and Mark Nguyen
2. “Much Ado About Nothing” is a comedic
play written by William Shakespeare during
the late 16th century. The play showcases a
tale of love and constant deception that cause
many problems for the characters in this
work. The play takes place in the late 16th
century and the story is told with help of
different aspects of theater.
There are many aspects of this play such as
set design, lighting, and costume design.
Each of these factors play an extremely
large role in conveying the overall message
and themes of the play.
3. Set Design
• The layout and design of the set acts somewhat as a
portal into a different time or place.
• A good set design has the ability to allow audience
members to truly see a setting that is different from
their own.
• Through set design, the story has an appropriate
place to be told.
4. Environment for the Performance
• The geographical location of this play is Messina, a port on the
island of Sicily, Italy.
• Most of the action that happens throughout this work occurs
on the grounds and at the home of the governor of Messina,
Leonato.
5. • Mood and Style
• Motifs: Noting,
Entertainment, Counterfitting
• Symbols: The taming of wild
animals, war, a Hero’s death
• Foreshadowing: Don John’s
plan to cross Claudio out of
jealousy in Act I, Benedick
and Beatrice’s witty insults
foreshadow their falling in
love.
• Major conflict: The real
conflict that underlies all of this
performance is somehow that
Claudio, Don Pedro, and Benedick
share a suspicion of marriage as a
trap.
• Distinguishing Realistic
from Non-Realistic Theater
• Real characters grappling with
real amorous problems in the
fictional context.
6. Central Image and Visual Metaphor
• The play’s language is heavily
laden with metaphor and
ornamented by rhetoric.
• For more details, the
characters Beatrice and
Benedick had been using the
most extreme metaphors to
demonstrate their scorn of
each other and of marriage,
and Claudio had been doing
the same to demonstrate his
love of Hero
7. Lighting
• The lighting of a play can add many different aspects
to the overall work.
• Proper lighting can create different moods, showcase
certain actors, and allow the audience to obtain a
better understanding of the scenes that are occurring
on stage.
8. Visibility
• By sticking to tradition and not using dramatic lighting, I will
rely mostly on the actors dialogue and movements to create the
mood or style of the time of day or convey the weather
conditions. In Shakespearian theatre we use natural light
provided by the sun to light the stage.
9. Visual Compositions
• The stage will be completely illuminated during the
scenes to ensure that the actors are fully visible. The
stage will only be dimmed during transitions between
scenes to allow for continuity for the audience to not
be disrupted.
• Spotlights will be used to emphasize the
actors movements.
10. Shapes and Forms
• Floodlights on the floors will be used for all indoor scenes.
• Illumination will be provided with frontal flood lights.
• Dimension will be created by using soft edged flood lights placed on the
asides.
11. Mood & Style
• Because Much Ado About Nothing is a Shakespearian comedy with dramatic elements the lighting
will essentially remain neutral with the actors being the driving force behind the mood of the play.
• The play is witty, snarky and dismissive which I will encompass by using the soft natural light
provided to center stage. On the other side the play has many serious, dark and fairly tragic
moments that will be portrayed by darker blue and soft black lighting.
12. Time and Place
• The play is set in the sixteenth
century in Messina, Sicily on and
around Governor Leonato’s
Estate. Provided this, the lighting
will be light blends of yellows and
oranges to establish a vintage look
to the stage.
• For more intense and dramatic
scenes such as during the climax
of the play when Claudio rejects
Hero at the altar, the lighting will
be very minimal and kept quite
dark to enhance the mood.
13. Rhythm of Visual Movement
• All set changes will require a blackout to allow for
crew members to successfully change scene without
being seen by the audience. The lighting will always
mirror the score set to the play by enhancing during
musical crescendos and dimming during musical
decrescendos.
14. Central Visual Image
• The home and grounds of Leonato’s Estate are the
single most central visual image of this particular
play. The central visual image would be any scene
that takes place on Leonato’s Estate.
15. Costume
Design
• The design and look of the
outfits the actors wear are an
important part of making the
whole work become believable in
the eyes of the Audience.
• Proper costume design can allow
audience members to truly
understand the time and culture
the play is set in.
• A costume should reflect on who
the character is, the time frame,
and still pertain to Shakespeare’s
original visuals.
16. The Effect of Location/Time on
Costumes
This play takes place in the late 16th century in Messina, Italy;
the costumes would display the warm environment. Also
costumes should in a way be more fashionable on the Spanish
class, rather than 17th century European apparel.
The costumes depict the late 16th century fashion, where ones
social class could be easily known through your wardrobe.
17. Costume Status
• With varying roles, the costumes
varied just as equally.
• The visiting Prince and Soldiers
would be in a more distinct
uniform, with swords to show
military status.
• The aristocracy would be dressed
a little more unique, with more
luxurious accessories to show
prestige or wealth.
• The women were meant to have
costume designs that were simple,
yet elegant.
18. Directing
• The director is the keystone to an entire production
• The director overlooks the play as a whole and is
involved in many aspects of the play.
19. The Script
• The director is in charge of choosing a script for a
play
• William’s Shakespeare’s script for Much Ado About
Nothing is full of is one of the few Shakespeare plays
where the text is mainly in prose.
• The sections of verses are used to achieve
invigorating energy and melancholy moods
20. Casting
• The Cast members acting out the characters are important
pieces that allow a play to be performed
• Our cast would include:
• Benedick- Robert Downey Jr.
• Beatrice- Scarlett Johansson
• Don Pedro- Chris Hemsworth
• Don John- Tom Hiddleston
• Claudio- Chris Evans
• Leonato- Samuel L. Jackson
• Hero- Gwyneth Paltrow
21. The Spine
• The Spine of each character is different but can all
be summed up into the quest for love and happiness
for their friends and loved ones. This can apply for
most characters besides Don John and his Lackies.
22. The Theme
• The overall theme that is portrayed in this play could
be love, Marriage, and jealousy.
• There are alternate themes that could be used such as
one should think about his or her situations carefully
before rashly springing into action.
• The theme of the play can be different for many
people.
23. The Directorial Concept
• The director of this play would want the audience to
be encompassed by the love aspect of the play yet
also amused by the witty banter of Benedick and
Beatrice.
• The play, being set in an older era, would have
language, set design, and costumes that depict the
time that the play is written in which allows the
audience to be encompassed in the time period.
