A garden with two people walking in formal 18th century attire.
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Much Ado About Nothing

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Miriam A. Laube
June 1 – October 12, 2024 Allen Elizabethan Theatre

“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably”

Romance, wit, and mistaken identities fuel this new staging of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy of tricks! Don Pedro’s army has just returned home victorious after the war. Love is in the air, even as two of history’s most tumultuous couples—Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero—volley hilarious quips and damning accusations back and forth. Will the truth win in this mischievous game of love? Find out in this dazzling, music-filled production directed by Miriam A. Laube, who brings her 17 seasons of OSF experience to this Shakespeare favorite, lighting up the Allen Elizabethan Theatre all summer.

 

Approximate running time: 2 hours and 40 minutes, including one intermission.

Tickets!
On sale now
Prices start at $39

 
Suitability Suggestions
This sophisticated and witty battle of the sexes will also explore jealousy and rage, leaving one couple’s happiness still in doubt at the play’s end. Exuberant, passionate, and complex, Much Ado About Nothing may be best suited for well- prepared middle and high school students.

For additional content warnings regarding violence or graphic depictions that may be upsetting to some audience members, please see our Content Warnings page (may contain spoilers).
Accessibility
The Allen Elizabethan Theatre is outfitted with an elevator for balcony seating.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is committed to accessibility. We recognize the needs of persons with disabilities and strive to make our facilities and productions accessible to all. Please visit our Accessibility page for details about 2024 programs and services as they develop.

Immerse

Miriam Laube
Director’s Notes

Oh, how I love this play. How I need this play.

While its title suggests a frivolity with little consequence, it is in fact a container for much deeper themes.

It is a comedy with a song of sorrow.
It is a comedy that poked at the patriarchal structures of the day and how dangerous it could be for women.
It is a comedy with a death and a resurrection.
It is a comedy that at its core is filled with such hope. Hope that love is attainable, hope that we can find those we thought lost, hope that forgiveness is possible, and hope for that ever-elusive second chance.

Shakespeare gives us these two extraordinary sets of lovers. At the center are our young lovers, Claudio and Hero, who in fact must walk through a valley of death for the possibility of forgiveness and a new beginning.

As a counterpoint he gives us the indelible Beatrice and Benedick. The prototype for all romantic comedies to come. The witty, smart, combatants with a history. Theirs is a journey toward a vulnerable heart, to a moment of bravely revealing themselves to each other. This brings them to a deeper understanding that from their vulnerable hearts comes strength and integrity, both for their personal relationship and for the community. In fact, the moment the play moves toward tragedy, it is Benedick’s admission and revelation to Beatrice that shifts the momentum back to possibility:

“I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange.”
And Beatrice’s eventual admission and revelation in reply,
“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”

That simple exchange always fills me with such glee and wonder. It is beautiful and brave and funny and true. It gives our lovers the possibility of a radiant second chance.

That is the production we will aim toward. One that honors Shakespeare’s elegant exchange and excavates what is beautiful and brave and funny and true, and poses the question that Shakespeare himself was obsessed with: “Is forgiveness possible?”

As I sit here in New York City in October 2023 watching unbelievable horrors unfold on the television, I need the hope seared into this play—hope that we can find those we thought lost, hope that our humanity is not forgotten, and hope for that ever-elusive possibility to begin again.

I am so honored that Tim Bond asked me to direct this complicated comedy. And I look forward to coming home to Ashland—to begin again.

See you on the Bricks!!!

—Miriam A. Laube

Creative Team

Cast

* Member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA)
** AEA Professional Theatre Intern

Understudies

Musicians

Allen Elizabethan seating chart.
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Allen Elizabethan seating chart.

OSF thanks our show sponsors

  • PRODUCTION PARTNERS
  • Kathryn Johnson and J. P. Culver
  • The Teel Family Foundation
  • Diane C. Yu and Estate of Michael J. Delaney
  • The Chautauqua Guild

OSF's 2024 Season