Directing "Much Ado About Nothing"

Roughly a year after approaching Breaking Wave Theatre Company with my initial pitch, we opened on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in a modern verse translation by Ranjit Bolt on May 5, 2022. Many thanks for Humanities Guahan and Play On! for their support and this fantastic translation!

I was deeply proud to co-direct this production with Ean Taijeron, which set the classic tale of love, sabotage, and forgiveness in contemporary Guam and wove in the locally spoken languages of CHamoru and Tagalog.

It was an honor to invite local audiences to engage with Shakespeare’s language in a way that was not only accessible, but also proactively inclusive. Our production featured meaningful gender shifts including that of Leonato to Leonata and Antonio to Antonia, a nod to the matriarchal traditions of Guam’s culture and to the reality that women can wield internalized weapons of patriarchal values.

We were also proud to visit three local high schools with scenes from the play and a classical text workshop! There is nothing better than watching high schoolers connecting with this rich material.

Our playing space under the stars sat on a cliff high above the Pacific Ocean, and there was an actual, real life, intoxicatingly fragrant plumeria tree on stage. An unforgettable experience.

Set Design by James Aevermann and Grace Gonzaga; Lighting Design by Christian Jay Santiago; Costume Design by Joe Anderson; Sound Design by Jerome Ocampo; Score by Shannon Dean San Nicolas; Stage Management by Mia Alvarez, Producing by Christelyn Ochoco.

Hannah Elmore as Beatrice, Will Parkinson as Benedick, Bernice Ongaco as Leonata, Nicolas Quinata as Don Pedro, James Camacho as Claudio, Sophia Espaldon as Hero, Shannon Dean San Nicolas as Antonia, Tim Dominguez as Dogberry/Don Juan, Joe Tai as Verges/Borachio, Camille Ponseca Parkinson as Margaret/Oatcake, Alice Grunzke as Conrade/Friar, and Starlet Luzama as Seacoal.

Photos by Franky Lynn Hill