![Patrick Earl and Stephanie Holladay Earl as Benedick and Beatrice.](https://www.hamilton.edu/assets/mmlibrary/images/original/shakespeare.jpg)
The Hamilton College Performing Arts Series presents the American Shakespeare Center in Much Ado about Nothing on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7:30 p.m., in Wellin Hall, Schambach Center. Actors will perform live music “pre-show” entertainment beginning at 7 p.m.
Written around 1598, Much Ado about Nothing is considered one of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies. The play follows the villainous Don John, who devises a scheme to shatter the nuptials of Claudio and Hero who are conspiring to trick Beatrice and Benedick into admitting their much-denied love. The play trips along at a steady place as characters invent and pass on totally misleading information; watching this process as it undoes characters is like playing a 16th century game of Telephone.
American Shakespeare Center on Tour consists of 11 actors specializing in the “theater of the imagination.” Like early modern acting companies, the actors play multiple roles in a single performance. Wellin Hall will be transformed into a mock thrust with select seating on stage and in the general audience. This inclusive arrangement allows the audience to enjoy the same festive sense of community experienced at Shakespeare’s original Blackfriars Playhouse in London.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and $5 for students. Ticket and more information is available at 859-4331 or on the Hamilton Performing Arts website.