Schools

Royal Oak Thespians Present Shakespeare's 'Much Ado'

More than 50 Royal Oak High School students are involved in the production, both on stage and off.

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ROYAL OAK, MI – The critically acclaimed Royal Oak Drama Club will perform Shakespeare's romantic comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” March 18 - 20 in the Kimball Auditorium.

The three shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 18-19, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20. A student preview will be held at 7 p.m. March 17.

The production is directed by Ed Nahhat, founder of Shakespeare in the Park in Royal Oak and a Hall of Fame graduate of Royal Oak High School.

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In this popular Shakespearean farce, Hero (Sarah Bem) and her groom-to-be, Claudio (Michael Miller), team up with commanding officer, Don Pedro (Rudy Palombit), the week before their wedding to hatch a matchmaking scheme.

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Their targets are sharp-witted duo Benedick (Damon Shea) and Beatrice (Kara Barbieri) — a tough task indeed, considering their corresponding distaste for love and each other.

Meanwhile, Don Pedro's embittered and melancholy brother Don John (Jarod Clark) plots to ruin the wedding while police constable and Dogberry (Matt Harmon, senior) humorously seeks to foil the plot with his own inflated self-importance and linguistic incompetence.

"We've got a great "Gatsby" feel to this one, with Charleston dancing, jazz and singing the blues, and Charlie Chaplin-like chase scenes," Nahhat said in a news release. "ROHS's exceptionally talented students are very advanced in their ability to interpret Shakespeare's humor. They bring his hilarious wit to life with real sophistication. I guarantee this show will be as good as any Shakespeare play you've ever seen."

The cast and crew features more than 50 Royal Oak High School students — from actors and dancers to student leaders working backstage on set construction, lights, sound, props, and publicity.

"We empower our students to grow in as many areas of artistic and organizational responsibilities as we can,” Nahhat said. “We want our shows to be run by students, with professional coaching to help guide them there."

To assist the students in understanding and mastering the humor and language of the clever Bard, Frannie Shepherd-Bates, education director for Shakespeare Royal Oak's Youth Education programs, conducted a special Kamikaze Shakespeare workshop early in the rehearsal process.

In addition, ROHS graduate, professional choreographer and voice coach Brittany Ward guided the students in dance and singing — which is also a regular element in Shakespeare's works.

“Much Ado About Nothing” is a witty play, attaining recent popularity in film as well as on stage.

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