1. Much Ado About Nothing
Group 54
Director: Ronnie Featherson
Set Design: Amber Cao
Lighting Designer: Andrew Caysido
Costume Designer: Mi Hong

3. A Director’s
Duties:
 Coordinates aspects of the production
• Scene
• Costume
• Lighting
• Sound Design
• Chooses a script
• Develops the “spine” of the play
• Designates the Style of the play
• Casts the play
• Holds rehearsals
• And holds the final decision on what the audience will see.

4. The Director Must Choose A Script!
 The theatrical play being discussed will be
William Shakespeare’s, Much Ado About
Nothing.

5. Creating a “SPINE” for the
Play
 The “main action” will encompass characters being masked and
truth‟s turning into deception, while when the smoke clears; LOVE
trumps all the manipulations.

6. Choosing a Style for our Play
 We will be implementing a Realism style to the play.
 The play should present a realistic atmosphere to
help the audience engage in a natural scenery.
 The acting must represent the 16th century lifestyle
in Messina.
 Though the genre of this play is a comedy the
actors should present a natural environment that
includes their comedic acting.

7. Setting the Scene
 The scene/setting should have Classical and
Renaissance inspired influences.

8. The Setting and Location
 The production will be set in 1600‟s
 It will be known that the location is a small
town in Messina, Italy.
 The scenery and props should be functional and portray
the feel of the time period.

9. Focusing on a Central
Image
 It‟s is important to have a running metaphor or image
throughout the production.
 For our production, we will have the running image of
MASKS.
 The masks will keep out of view the unappealing traits of
characters from the rest of the casts.

10. Costume
Costume should represent
the time period of the 1600‟s
Colors should be warm
neutral tones native to Italy.

11. Lighting
 Lighting is a key component in this production
 It should be used to focus the audience, and at times “mask”
and scatter the vision of the audience.

12. Casting
Male Leads
 Leonato- Ian McKellen
 Don Pedro – Jake Gyllenhaal
 Claudio – Joesph Gordon- Levitt
 Benedick- Johnny Depp
 Don John – James Franco
 Borachio – Leonardo Dicaprio
 Conradee – Michael Ealy
 Dogberry - Mel Gibson
 Verges- Jonah Hill
Female Leads
 Beatrice – Nicole Kidman
 Hero- Anne Hathaway
 Antonia – Diane Keaton
 Margaret – Liv Tyler
 Ursula – Natalie Portman

13. Keeping the Directional
Concept
 Keep to the original theme and direction Shakespeare intended.
 Use the power of words to create images.
 The inability of characters to detect the truth from falseness.
 The use of “MASKS” throughout the production.
 The realization of inadequacies of true love.

14. Set Designer

15. Stage
-Proscenium Stage
-Creates a separation between the stage and the audience.
-”Fourth wall” is created as though the audience is
visualizing the scene from a transparent glass wall and are
able to view the three walls of the room.
-Audience facing the stage.
-The stage area allows for a more deep and elaborate scenery.
-By having scene changes concealed behind a proscenium
opening, it offers a perfect arrangement for spectacle.
-Provides a more realistic scenery .
-Stage must be large and spacious for this play.

16. Mood and Style
*-The setting of play can
establish the mood, style,
and meaning of a play.
*-The use of lights can
help distinguish the mood
using colors, tint, etc.
The genre of „Much Ado About Nothing‟ is a romantic comedy. To establish
the mood and style of this play I would include an exaggeration of lights color
and make the scene fun and comedic. To correlate with the realism style of this
play I would design the stage so that the props and lightening can produce a
mood in accordance to the characters.
-The architecture of the set must be
arranged to fit Italy in the 1600s.
Ex: Arches and columns.

17. Realistic and Nonrealistic Scenery
*The stage designer‟s role is of
special importance in
distinguishing between realism
and non-realism.
To create a realistic scenery I would showcase the war
as a symbol in this production. The drama includes
many real life situation. A main theme would be the
love between the character. The play begins with the
soldiers returning from a battle but the war continues
on with arguments between the characters. Ex:
Beatrice and Benedick (“Merry War”)
The set design will provide an
audience with a true idea of which
the stage will appear to look like
Leonato‟s home; room and halls.
The realistic scenery will resemble a
room of any household in the
1600s.

18. Locale and Period
*-Whether realistic or
nonrealistic, a stage set should tell
the audience where and when the
play takes place.
The production of this play is set in
the, 1600s in the small town of
Messina, Italy in the time period of
the Renaissance. The scenery and
props will have a background of
arches around the house and stairs
with an Italian feel to showcase
ancient Rome. The architecture of
the stage will be able to represent the
wealthy people who reside in the the
home. The props used would also
help determine the period in which
the play is being taken place.

19. The Design Concept
*-The design concept is a
unifying idea carried out
visually.
The design concept of this play will be a setting in which would showcase a place of an idyllic
setting, a place away from the actions of war. The whole concept of design is to take away from
the downs of the war and rejoice in a new area with a holiday-like mood that includes a comedic
entertainment of wit. The setting of this play should showcase a stage with a very festive,
romantic, loving banter atmosphere. The design concept of „Much Ado About Nothing‟ should
present a setting of architecture (columns, broad windows) to represent the social status of the
characters in the time period of the 1600s in Messina.

20. The Central Image or Metaphor
*-Stage design not only must
be consistent with the play but
also should have it own
integrity.
The setting of stage will be of Leonato‟s house. His house is the
central image/metaphor throughout the play. Leonato‟s house is a place
for soldiers to return and visit. Leonato‟s house is used as a central
image of the place of Messina, a battlefield, and creates an illusion of
festive and lively environment a mind away from the war. Leonato‟s
home has a setting where the
characters can find romance.

21. Coordination of the Whole
*-The designer has an obligation
to provide scenery consistent
with the intent of the play and
the director‟s concept.
The stage of the play should be emphasized and produced well because it
shows the concept of the setting of Messina. I would incorporate the time
period of the play and keep the theme that Shakespeare had intended. I
would also provide a setting in which one can understand the characters.
The setting well help provide an emphasis to the “masks” throughout the
production and the different sides of the characters.

22. Solving Practical Design Problems
*-Each script presents unique practical problems which must be
solved by a designer; often these practical problems will help
determine the concept and other design decisions for a play.
As a designer I must find a way to
achieve either of these effects, of
setting/stage changes. For
example, the setting change to
incorporate both the house and
the garden. To create that setting I
must establish a style and
determine how the stage must be
used in the production. In
creating a stage set, the designer
must be aware of several
elements. Garden on left, house on right.

23. Light Designer
Spotlighting the show.

24. Aspects of Light Designing:
 Duties include:
 Creating, installation, and setting controls for stage lighting.
 Properties of Stage Lighting:
 1. Intensity
 2. Color
 3. Distribution
 4. Movement

25. Light Intensity
 Much Ado About nothing includes a climatic scene in which the intensity of light or brightness is
important for climatic scenes at night where very little light is needed.
 Such as is in the scene where Claudio confronts the false lies of Hero‟s unfaithfulness, planned by Don
john.
 In this scene the use of dim right light will be shown at the window where the occurrence takes place.
 To accomplish this, and
ellipsoidal reflector
spotlight will be used to
spotlight the window,
where the scene takes
place.

26. Color
 Is a very powerful part of lighting, and ignites the mood of the scene.
 Colors are selected to support choices made by scenic and costume designers to
support the many actions of the play.
 Color will alter and transform the stage set, changing and establishing different
moods.
 We‟ll be using color to transform the set to illuminate the audiences
imagination.

27. Distribution
 We‟ll be using stage lights that will be
positioned from above. This is an excellent
angle for lighting the actor‟s face without
creating shadows.
• Lighting which positions a
lighting instrument being used
at an angle at which the light
strikes the performers onstage.

28. Movement
 Last property of light design where the lighting comes to life.
 Our purpose of light movement is to carry the viewer‟s eye from one
place to another by shifting the focus of lights.
 This would give a rhythm of movement throughout the play and
would also focus the audience's attention on certain areas of the stage
as well as supporting the elements.

29. Spotlights
 We‟ll be using the most widely used and renowned Ellipsoidal
reflector spotlights in our production.
 This will be our “workhorse” in our lighting practice.
 This will attract our audiences to the center of attention of the
climactic scene bringing the “limelight” to our actors.

30. Qualities of a Good Light Designer:
 A masterful light designer knows how to effectively collaborate with
costume set designers, and the director.
 Must know the plot and how to incorporate lighting to ignite the tone
and mood of the play. The “pacemaker”.
 Must be a master electrician responsible for preparation, hanging, and
focusing lights.

31. Costume
Designer

32. Objectives of Costume Designer
 Establish the style of the production
 Indicate the historical period of a play and locale
 Indicate the nature of individual characters
 Show relationships among characters
 Symbolically convey the significance of the characters
 Meet the individual needs of the performers
 Be consistent with the production

33. Style
The style that the characters will wear are of high class and
very elegant. They also will dress similarly to the 16th century
renaissance time period.

34. Characters
Men
The main male characters of
this play are soldiers that have
just gotten out of war, so they
are generally wearing their
uniforms. Their uniforms
should be lightweight as well
to allow them to move
comfortably on stage.

35. Characters
The main female characters of
this play would wear light dresses
but knee length to allow
themselves the ability to move
freely across the stage. Also flats
for the women to look formal but
comfortably perform on stage.
Their makeup should be simple
and very little to show their
natural beauty.
Women

36. Costumes
Hero
To represent the
character, Hero‟s,
innocence she would
wear a white dress
that curves to her
body but isn‟t too
revealing.
Claudio
Since this character
is a soldier who just
returned from war,
he wears his
uniform to show his
chivalry.

37. Costumes
Beatrice
This character is
more free minded
and witty so her
dress should have
more color.
Benedick
This character is
also a soldier that
returned from the
war but should have
more color in his
uniform, possibly in
his ribbons or medal
to show his similar
personality to
Beatrice.

38. Costumes
Don Pedro
This character is referred to
as a prince and has also come
back from war. His uniform
should be more decorated
than Benedick and Claudio
but still have the same color
uniform.
Don John
This character is
known as the villain
through out the
play. His costume
should be mostly
black and red to
represent his dark
personality

39. Character Relationships
 The two characters Hero and Claudio should both have
shades of white to indicate their strong connection
together and young pure love.
 The two characters Beatrice and Benedick should have
costumes that have more color to show their free quick
witted minds that spark connection to one another.

40. Character Relationships
 In Act II, the play‟s setting is at a masked ball and all the
characters wear a mask that cover parts of their face but
still allows the audience to see which character is
underneath the mask
 The masks symbolize the
theme of treachery as each
character hides through their
lies and deception.