As another year at Belmont Hill begins, the community’s thespians continue their hard work, this time on Shakespeare’s legendary romantic comedy, Much Ado about Nothing. This season’s first production travels a number of uncharted territories, including the hosting of cast members from outside of Belmont Hill, Winsor, and Dana Hall. “Being a romantic comedy, Much Ado is a sort of breath of fresh air for the theater department, especially after a year of heavier productions along the lines of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Macbeth,” says frontman Owen Pickette (who will portray Claudio).
Despite a general feeling of excitement regarding the production, auditions yielded few prospective performers. However, the production will receive a boost in the form of 2 talented actresses from Belmont High School, Haley Brown (to play Hero) and Olivia Pierce (cast as Margaret). Furthermore, veterans of the stage like Theo Why (who will be our Don Pedro) aren’t sweating the minimal turnout; Why believes that the “pure talent” of the incumbent group and that of their guest actresses “can weather any storm and thrive.” As a fan of and a believer in the Belmont Hill theater department, I am confident that he is correct and cannot wait to see Much Ado. With its combination of a strong cast and what promises to be some dynamic directing by Ms. Robison and Mr. Debling, it is primed to be a hit among Belmont Hill’s theater fans when it graces the Kraft Theater stage at 7:00 PM on Friday, November 18th, and Saturday, November 19th.
