Thaumatrope Theatre brings a new production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to Toronto’s Lawrence Park South on Saturday, July 13, 6:30 pm ET. Co-directed by Isabella Cesari and Caitlyn Grant, choreographed by Emily Sugianto, and produced by Elžbieta Chernyak, the performance will be held outdoors, embodying the young company’s innovative spirit and commitment to accessibility.
Thaumatrope Theatre, Cesari explains, arose out of expedience: “Believe it or not, Thaumatrope Theatre was born because ‘Company Name’ was a required field on an application form.” Along with a friend, she had co-written a musical, with support from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies. This unexpected demand for a name proved serendipitous, as the acceptance of their application led to mounting their first production, a one-act workshop called Miss You ‘Til Tomorrow. After its success, the team realized they wanted to continue creating shows on their own terms, and the following year, launched the company officially with Lizzie: The Musical.
Thaumatrope Theatre’s mission is simple: to “provide opportunities for student, emerging, and early-career artists to take on leadership roles and get performance experience in a format that fits alongside school, work, and other commitments,” . The company’s vision is to foster a collaborative and supportive environment, through which early-career artists can be ambitious, while delivering accessible, high-quality productions.
Building on the success of last summer’s outdoor performance of Twelfth Night, the company decided to embrace the challenge of staging another Shakespearean play outdoors this year. “We love working with constraints and turning them into opportunities for creativity, so being outdoors gets us thinking about how we can make the staging lively, and how we can work with the actors to make the story vivid and engrossing – with basically none of the trappings you’d have in a traditional theatre space!”
For this production, the team embraced the idea of delivering a “2000s sporty interpretation” of Much Ado About Nothing. The beloved comedy revolves around two pairs of lovers and a series of misunderstandings, deceptions, and antics. The story is set in Messina, Italy, where soldiers return from war and are welcomed by the local governor, Leonato (played by Rhys Parker). The first pair of lovers, Claudio (Talfryn Quiring) and Hero (Josie Dolin), quickly fall in love and plan to marry. However, their happiness is threatened by the scheming Don John (Adrian Muhajarine), who tricks Claudio into believing that Hero has been unfaithful. The second pair, Beatrice (Chi-Chi Onuah) and Benedick (Brendan Rush), are witty and sharp-tongued individuals who engage in a “merry war” of words: constantly bantering, mocking and challenging each other.
After comic trials and tribulations, both couples reconcile, and the play concludes with a joyful double wedding that celebrates love, mercy, and the triumph of truth over deceit. Rounding out the diverse cast are Andrew Easterling, Rainbow Kester, Janae Roomes, Quaid Lale, Kate Megginson, Jillian Peters, Mokshali Raman, Luka Lars-Nova, Yael Sher, Allen Ng, and Hemali Sankalya Ratnaweera.
A compelling rationale for staging Much Ado About Nothing is to highlight its exploration of gender relations and expectations, “thorny issues that are as relevant today as they were in Shakespeare’s time” – and which are at the forefront of its comedy, as well as its drama. “Masculine bravado and misogyny drive Hero’s tragedy, as much as their subversion drives the fantastic banter between Beatrice and Benedick,” Cesari notes. “We like to think that Much Ado‘s optimistic ending is also important in a time where our world seems to reward outrage and antagonistic attitudes. In response to that, we’re thrilled to be presenting a play that ends on a note of forgiveness, love, and celebration.” The company hopes that Toronto audiences “will see a reflection of issues they may have encountered in their real lives, and leave with the sense that it is possible to push back against these issues by building positive relationships with those that love and support you.”
In practical terms, the choice of Much Ado About Nothing was also driven by the play’s “character-centric nature”. It does not rely on elaborate sets or costumes, which makes it perfect for a park setting “where you kind of can’t have those things!” Indeed, unique to Thaumatrope Theatre’s outdoor productions is their use of wide-open park spaces – rather than even a stage, bandshell, or other purpose-built outdoor performance space. And the support of the City of Toronto’s Arts in the Park permit program allows them to offer performances that are free of charge, which is “so important to us,” Cesari emphasizes.
This approach not only makes theatre accessible, but also evokes the tradition of Elizabethan “scrappy, roving troupes that would set up in towns across England to perform for local audiences”. On the performance day, audiences can arrive any time after 6:00 pm and should bring something to sit on, along with snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. While the one-night-only performance is free to enjoy, it does cost the company to stage. To help offset the cost and support of future programming, the company will have merchandise on hand for purchase.
And peering beyond Much Ado About Nothing, the future of Thaumatrope Theatre looks bright, as the company prepares to announce their first full season in 2024-2025. “The show lineup will be announced later this month, as well as auditions for our Fall production!” smiles Cesari. “The company is eager to continue growing and building relationships with audiences, artists, and other organizations around Toronto.”
And that’s something worth making much ado about!
Thaumatrope Theatre will present Much Ado About Nothing at Lawrence Park South on Saturday, July 13, 2024, 2024 6:30 pm ET. Visit thaumatropetheatre.com for more information.
© Arpita Ghosal, SesayArts Magazine, 2024
