“Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare will be presented 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23 the Benedum Civic Center in Bridgeport.

 

Audience members may enter the building at 6:30 p.m. on both nights to find their seats. The performances are “Pay What You Will” and audiences are required to wear masks inside the building for the duration of the performance.

 

The performances of the classic romantic comedy are brought by The Rustic Mechanicals – West Virginia’s only professional touring Shakespeare troupe.

 

“Let me be that I am and seek not to alter me” – a quote from the play - describes the mindset of The Rustic Mechanicals as they have been touring all over the state with their production. The members of the troupe are passionate theatre artists and though the world can sometimes be complicated, their desire to share theatre with the people of this great state will not be altered because it is critical to their mission.

 

“The Rustic Mechanicals believe that everyone needs and deserves to have access to live Shakespeare,” said Artistic Director Jason A. Young. “Eight years ago, that access was extremely limited in West Virginia. So, we changed that. Our mission is to serve our state and its students by bringing them incredible ‘Shakespeariences’ and carrying on the over 400-year tradition of touring the works of William Shakespeare.”

 

The members of this troupe feel that Shakespeare’s works are timeless because they include themes that connect us to the people who experienced the plays hundreds of years ago, Young said.

 

"Though Shakespeare wrote 'Much Ado About Nothing' over 400 years ago, it is full of elements that audiences in 2021 can recognize in everyday life and media," he said. "A “will they or won’t they' type of relationship between characters, humor, jealousy, deception, and over the top romantic gestures are among the classic tropes that people can recognize."

 

Director of "Much Ado About Nothing" Jim Warren believes the play is as relevant now as it was over 400 years ago.

 

“Much Ado is a drama and a comedy - just like life,” he said. “Shakespeare writes about the human condition - warts and all - and us taking this ride together with the audience allows us to participate in the story as a community.”

 

As cheesy as it may sound, creating community and experiencing humanity together makes the world a better place, Warren said.

 

“Come see our show because it’s serious fun,” he said. “Fun is at the core of the Mechanicals' production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ as the play includes live music, outrageous comic characters, and comedic gags that they hope audiences will enjoy.