Thomas Brings Laughs with 'Much Ado'
As part of the college’s 75th anniversary celebration, Westmont Festival Theatre features the work of seven alumni in William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Oct. 26 at 8:30 p.m., Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Nov. 1-3 at 8 p.m., all in Westmont's Porter Theatre. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors, $10 for adults, and can be purchased online at www.westmont.edu/boxoffice or by calling (805) 565-7140.
Award-winning director Mitchell Thomas says “Much Ado” is his favorite Shakespearean comedy, and he’s wanted to direct it for some time. “Whenever I tell people that I am directing ‘Much Ado,’ they say, ‘Oh! I love that play!’ he says. “I love it too. There is always a bit of pressure when directing something from the canon, but what’s remarkable is how fresh, funny and modern the play feels in the rehearsal room. Expectations fall away and we just get to revel in the opportunity to work on a very, very good play.”
The alumni design/production team includes: Jonathan Hicks ’04 (lighting design), Elizabeth Hess ’97 (dramaturgy), Lynne Martens ’08 (costume design), Cameron Squire ’05 (production management/technical direction), Gregory Wadsworth ’06 (composer / sound design), Leah Benson ’08 (choreography), and Ben Johnson ’10 (art design). “All of the alumni have gone on to graduate school or professional careers in their respective areas, and we’re very excited to showcase their work for our community and to have them interact with our current students,” Thomas says.
The play is set on the idyllic coast of Italy at the turn of the century on a winemaker’s seaside estate. “It will be a beautifully designed show that we hope gets at the heart of the romance, danger, passion, farce and love that this play contains,” he says. “‘Much Ado’ is a riotously funny, beautiful and challenging play and I am grateful to get to work on it and share it with our audiences.”
Thomas, associate professor of theater arts, racked up two more Indys this year for his acting roles in “Peer Gynt” and “Creditors.” He earned an Indy in 2010 for directing “The Bald Soprano.”