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Digitial Program

Welcome

Welcome to William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing—a play that has it all. Laughter, tears, music, drama… and all of this baking under the warm Italian sun. It is a huge pleasure to bring director Selina Cadell back to CST to tackle this much-beloved play after her groundbreaking Hamlet with Eddie Izzard in 2024. Much Ado is a story that asks us to look at our own relationships, our own need for control, our fear of exposure, and to laugh in recognition. It’s a world alive with overhearing and mishearing, where the act of listening is just as provocative as speaking.

Perhaps the real achievement of Much Ado is to remind us that love, for all its absurdities, remains the most serious game we play—and perhaps the only one worth losing.

This production begins a feast of Shakespeare over the coming months. We are excited for the return of the Royal Shakespeare Company to Chicago in February with Hamnet, our own The Merry Wives of Windsor in April, and a limited run of public performances of our 75-minute Short Shakespeare! Hamlet which will also play to more than 18,000 middle and high school students. It’s an exciting moment for Shakespeare at CST as we look forward to our 40th anniversary next year.

Enjoy the show!

EDWARD HALL
Artistic Director

Carl and Marilynn Thoma Chair

KIMBERLY MOTES
Executive Director

presents

Paranormal Activity

By WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Directed by SELINA CADELL

Principal Production Sponsor
Mark Ouweleen and Sarah Harding

Lead Production Sponsor
Michael Charles Litt

Associate Production Sponsor
Sandy Sweet and Mira Frohnmayer

As a courtesy to the artists and your fellow theatergoers, please turn off your cell phones and all other electronic devices. Photography, video, and audio recording are strictly prohibited during the show. For your safety, we ask that you keep aisles and doorways clear. If you need to step out while the show is in progress, theater staff may ask you to wait in the lobby before re-entering, and it may not be to your original seat. If we can help accommodate you during your visit, please speak with our House Manager.

Cast

Creative Team


Nathan Allen

Associate Director

Tuesday Thacker

Production Assistant

Andrei Borges

Associate Lighting Designer

Karina Patel

Dramaturgy

Nathan Allen

Associate Director

Tuesday Thacker

Production Assistant

Andrei Borges

Associate Lighting Designer

Karina Patel

Dramaturgy

Much Ado About Nothing Full Staff Listing

Edward Hall   Artistic Director, Carl and Marilynn Thoma Chair
Kimberly Motes   Executive Director

ARTISTIC & EXECUTIVE

Ericka Ratcliff  Literary Manager
Paige Farestveit  General Manager
Daniel J. Hess Artistic Administrator
Bob Mason   Artistic Associate/Casting Director
Alexis Taylor   Casting Associate
Rose Kalef   Executive Assistant
Karina Patel  Literary Associate
Shemar Wheeler  Arts Leadership Fellow

 

DEVELOPMENT & SPECIAL EVENTS

Makeda Cohran   Events Director
Melissa Rosenberg  Associate Director of Development, Individual Giving
Elizabeth Aranza   Associate Director of Development, Institutional Giving
Finley Jones  Manager of Annual Fund and Planned Giving
Nathan Wetter   Donor Services and Data Coordinator

 

EDUCATION

Nora Carroll  Director of Lifelong Learning & Education, Ray and Judy McCaskey Education Chair
Grace Cummings  Education Programs Associate

Stephen Bennett, PHD; Katie Blankenau, PHD; Casey Caldwell, PHD; Deon Custard, PHD Candidate; Elizabeth Charlebois, PHD; Vanessa Corredera, PHD; Rebecca Fall, PHD; Martine Kei Green-Rogers, PHD; Sara B.T. Thiel, PHD   Guest Scholar Lecturers
Chris Anthony, MFA; Devin Christor; Greg Geffrard, MFA; Matt Hawkins, MFA; Clarence Higgins, MFA; Jarrett King; Kevin Long, MA; Sonya Madrigal; Katie McKnight, PHD   Educator Artists
Melina Lesus, PHD   CPS Connectivity Consultant

 

FINANCE & OPERATIONS

FINANCE

Dan Thomas   Controller
Alysse Hunter   Assistant Controller
Alejandra Sujo   Accounting Associate

TECHNOLOGY

Jeanne DeVore   Technology Manager

OPERATIONS

Mark Kozy   Director of Operations
Daniel Lopez   Facilities Manager

Mike Atkins  Custodian
Dwayne Brewer  Custodian
Anthony Davis   Custodian
Cano Hernandez  Custodian
Ferris Robertson  Custodian

GUEST SERVICES

Devin Faught   Front of House Manager
Phoebe Silva   Assistant Front of House Manager

Julia Ravenscroft   Show Supervisor
Erika Wilson   Show Supervisor

Will Adams   Guest Services Associate
Sam Castillo   Guest Services Associate
Amanda Farmer   Guest Services Associate
Leah Johnson   Guest Services Associate
Paulette Maher  Guest Services Associate
Nat Martinez-White  Guest Services Associate
Maggie Perisho   Guest Services Associate
Jessica Plummer   Guest Services Associate
Jack Porter Guest Services Associate
Nora Rumery   Guest Services Associate
Samantha Waitkus   Guest Services Associate
Nyja White   Guest Services Associate
Jada Woodard   Guest Services Associate

Philip Macaluso   Lead Concessioner
Patty Roache   Lead Concessioner
Jack Saunders   Lead Concessioner

Sam Adams   Concessioner
Dani Brown  Concessioner
Suzie Glover   Concessioner
Zoe Maxwell   Concessioner
Tanner McCormick   Concessioner
Robbie Matthew   Concessioner
Leaf McCastle   Concessioner
Lily Mulcahy   Concessioner
Reese Sheldahl   Concessioner
Emily Stipetic   Concessioner
Prenae Thomas   Concessioner
Mo Werder   Concessioner

HUMAN RESOURCES

Laurel Legler  Director of Human Resources
Mohad Zahid  HR Generalist

 

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Brad Boron   Chief Marketing Officer

MARKETING

Mackenzie Schleyer  Associate Director of Marketing
Katie Bell   Digital Marketing Manager
Olivia George   Graphic Designer
Shelly Binkley   Tessitura Administrator
Ali Khan   Marketing Associate

COMMUNICATIONS

Hannah Kennedy   Director of Communications
Emma Perrin   Associate Director of Communications
Tiffany Mullins   Digital Content Specialist

BOX OFFICE

Scott Letscher   Ticketing Services Manager
Sonja Pardee   Box Office Supervisor

Maggie Curry  Box Office Associate
Al Duffy  Box Office Associate
Jaz Fowlkes   Box Office Associate
Micah Hazel   Box Office Associate
Aurthur King   Box Office Associate
Eric Perrine  Box Office Associate
Ash Pierce   Box Office Associate
Kir Westrick  Box Office Associate

 

PRODUCTION

Rebecca Cribbin  Chief Production Officer
Mac Vaughey   Production Manager
Alexa Berkowitz   Assistant Production Manager

SCENERY

Tyler Metoxen   Technical Director
Jesse Gaffney   Assistant Technical Director
Tobi Osibodu   Stage Crew Head
Bradley Buri   Stage Crew Carpenter Head
Jack Birdwell   Stage Rigging Crew Head
Nicolas Cabrera   House Technician
Chris Culver   House Technician
Amber Hahn   House Technician
Bobby Noe   House Technician
James Doolittle Carpenter
Aubrey Pierce Carpenter
Danny Carraher Carpenter
Reese Sheldahl Carpenter
Nicholas Thomas Carpenter
Jessica Howe Charge Artist
Tea Roberts Scenic Artist 
Sara Grose Scenic Artist 
Emily Altman Scenic Artist
Tara Huffman Scenic Artist
Devin Meseke Scenic Artist

COSTUMES

Ryan Magnuson  Costume Department Manager
Cathy Tantillo   Costume Design Assistant
Melissa Perkins  Costume Design Assistant
Madeline Felauer  Costume Crafts
Jenn Giangola   Wardrobe Supervisor
Tyler Phillips  Draper/Workroom Supervisor
Teagan Anderson   First Hand
Yas Maple   Stitcher
Laura Holt    Dresser

LIGHTING AND VIDEO

Alec Thorne  Lighting and Video Department Manager
Arianna Brown  Assistant Lighting and Video Department Manager
Joan E. Claussen   Lighting Crew Head
Meike Schmidt Lightboard Programmer
Lea Davis Electrician
Avery Spellmeyer Electrician
Andres Fiz Electrician
Jack Zanger Electrician
Elliot Hubiak Electrician
Florence Borowski Electrician

SOUND

Nicholas Pope  Sound Department Manager
Tyler Malone   Sound Technician

HAIR AND MAKE-UP

Ashley Adams   Hair and Make-up Supervisor
Sarah Collins   Hair and Make-up Attendant
Hailey Hance Hair & Makeup Attendant Cover 

 

PROPERTIES

Anna Katharine Mantz  Properties Department Manager
Meghan Savagian   Assistant Properties Department Manager
Dan Nurczyk   Properties Crew Head
Sara Grose Properties Artisan
Katie Novak Properties Artisan 

DIRECTOR SELINA CADELL ON THE CONTRASTS IN THE PLAY

“Shakespeare plays often have so much to do with outward appearance. Much Ado is no exception. This is a world of honor, status, and rank—and that ought to be good. Everyone ought to behave well. But they don’t… instead everyone’s putting on a disguise, everyone’s pretending to be someone else. These marvelous people who have this privileged life… they’re never the wise people. The fools are the wise men, and the wise men are the fools. That’s always the case. That interests me, because I think that’s true today, quite often.”

HOW DID PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE IN THE 1500s?

Excerpt from Wooing and Wedding: Courtship and Marriage in Early Modern England by Karen Lyon 

In Medieval England, marriages were often arranged—although mutual consent was generally desirable—and focused on kinship bonds and a rearrangement of property. Personal liking—or love—was not a requirement. This changed to a certain degree in the early modern era. 

Parents still exercised considerable control over marriage selection—and few people married without regard for questions of property and financial well-being—but children were now being given the right of veto and a somewhat greater latitude to follow their hearts in the choice of a spouse. The fact that many young people left their towns and families to seek service and apprenticeships elsewhere also meant that they were freer to pursue courtship with a relative lack of supervision. While the early modern period did not etch an inviolable demarcation between “arranged” and “free” marriages, historian Robert Ingram notes that it did usher in “a more subtle system… in which love had a part to play in combination with prudential considerations, the pressures of community values and (at middling and upper-class levels) the interests of parents and sometimes other family members.” 

WHERE’D YA ROM-COM COME FROM?

Did you know that we have Shakespeare to thank for many of our favorite big screen rom-coms?

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved romantic comedies. It was written and first performed around 1598-99, so you could consider it one of the originators of the classic enemies-to-lovers trope! Can you guess which Shakespeare plays inspired these famous romances?

1. West Side Story (1961)
Set in 1950s New York City, this classic charts the love story of Tony, a former member of the Jets gang, and Maria, sister to the leader of the rival Sharks.

2. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Kat Stratford is beautiful, smart, and hates everyone—especially dumb boys. Her younger sister Bianca can’t date until Kat has a boyfriend, so she schemes to set up her resistant sister with an unlikely suitor.

3. She’s The Man (2006)
When Viola’s brother decides to ditch school for a few weeks, she joins his soccer team disguised as him and proceeds to fall for his school’s star player.

4. Anyone But You (2023)
After a good first date turns sour, Bea and Ben unexpectedly find themselves at a destination wedding in Australia. They pretend to be the perfect couple to keep up appearances, even though they hate each other.

Answer Key:

1. Romeo and Juliet 2. The Taming of the Shrew 3. Twelfth Night 4. Much Ado About Nothing

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NAVY PIER WINTER WONDERFEST

December 5 – January 4

Relive cherished memories and make magical new ones at Chicago’s favorite holiday experience. Step inside and kick off the season with rides, slides, and festive fun. From thrilling attractions like the Cliffhanger and Zero Gravity to family favorites like the kiddie train, bumper cars, and ice skating– there’s something for everyone!

Buy tickets now at navypier.org

SEASON SPONSORS

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is proud to recognize the sustaining partnership of our Season Sponsors,
whose visionary support ensures that we live out our artistic mission for audiences today and for generations to come.

SEASON SPONSORS

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is proud to recognize the sustaining partnership of our Season Sponsors, whose visionary support ensures that we live out our artistic mission for audiences today and for generations to come.

The Grainger Foundation

The Jentes Family

Ray and Judy McCaskey

Paul M. Angell Family Foundation

Burton X. and Sheli Z. Rosenberg

The Segal Family

Carl and Marilynn Thoma

Chicago Shakespeare productions are made possible in part by the Illinois Arts Council Agency and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Chicago Shakespeare is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group, Inc., the national service organization of non-profit theaters; Shakespeare Theatre Association; Arts Alliance Illinois; the League of Chicago Theatres; and Ingenuity, Inc.   

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence. www.actorsequity.org   

This production is covered by a collective bargaining agreement with the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.

The lighting designer of this production is represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of IATSE.

About Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST)

Our Mission

To create vivid, entertaining theatrical experiences that invigorate and engage people of all ages and identities by illuminating the complexity, ambiguity, and wonder of our world.

Shared humanity and unforgettable stories—now THIS is Chicago Shakespeare.

Our Vision

We deliver excellent, powerful, life-changing theater that challenges our preconceptions of everything. We are an open and inspiring destination to meet, talk, and share experience through community and live performance that is available to everyone. We build a better future with those who watch, work, create, and participate.

Our Story

CST is a leading international theater company and the nation’s largest year-round theater dedicated to the works of Shakespeare. Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director Edward Hall and Executive Director Kimberly Motes, the Regional Tony Award recipient engages nearly a quarter of a million people through more than 12 productions each year. Shakespeare is at the heart of the artistic work, illuminating the playwright as a modern writer for our modern world. CST also produces compelling, contemporary stories from fresh artistic voices of today. CST brings the world to Chicago and sends Chicago out into the world as a presenter of international theater and producer of North American and world premieres. Serving more students and teachers than any theater in the city, CST annually welcomes more than 20,000 students to performances and programs like Chicago Shakespeare SLAM, alongside professional development opportunities for teachers. CST activates its campus with three venues: 700-seat The Yard; the 500-seat Jentes Family Courtyard Theater; and the 200-seat Carl and Marilynn Thoma Upstairs Studio. Free programs like Shakes in the City bring performances to parks and community spaces across Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. For nearly four decades, CST has distinguished itself with a spirit of innovation, dynamism, and ambitious vision.

More About Us

Our Team

The thrilling work on our stages would not be possible without our visionary leadership, talented team of theater professionals, and dedicated Board of Directors.

Our Supporters

Chicago Shakespeare gratefully recognizes the gifts and partnerships provided by our hundreds of individual donors and institutions in our digital donor listing.

Our Education Programs

We are committed to providing access to high quality, culturally responsive arts education, and fostering a love for lifelong learning through innovative programming.