The School of Theatre and Dance continues its 2021-2022 season with a reimagined production of William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing," running April 22 – May 1, 2022 in Wright-Curtis Theatre.
Roe Green Visiting Director JaMeeka Holloway presents this new treatment of the classic Shakespearean comedy about love and misunderstanding.
The "Much Ado About Nothing" production team includes assistant director and choreographer Jessie Cope Miller, assistant director Austin Verstreater, costume design by Victoria Mearini, lighting design by Jaemin Park, scenic design by associate professor Tamara L. Honesty, sound design by adjunct faculty member Chuck Hatcher, props management by Kathalina Thorpe, head props artisan Travis Daniel Williams, and technical direction by Jack Libengood. Assistant professor Tom Humes is the production stage manager, Samantha Pamfilie is the stage manager.
Read the "Much Ado About Nothing" Dramaturgy Performance Guide
About the Roe Green Visiting Director Series
The Roe Green Visiting Director Series was established in 2003 by Kent State alumna and Cleveland-based philanthropist Roe Green. An initial $25,000 donation was repeated annually until 2018 when Ms. Green endowed the Series with a $2.2 million gift allowing it to continue in perpetuity. Through the program, the School of Theatre and Dance invites a guest professional director each year to work in residency with students and direct one of the School's Main Stage productions. The School of Theatre and Dance is fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity to its students. Now in its 18th year, the Roe Green Visiting Director Series continues to bring professional directors to Â鶹´«Ã½.
About JaMeeka Holloway
JaMeeka Holloway is an award-winning freelance director and producer based out of Durham, NC. A 2018 Indy Arts Award winner, JaMeeka is a 2019-20 grant recipient from both the Manbites Dog Theater Fund and from the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists program. In February 2019, Holloway was honored by the African American Heritage Commission and Governor Roy Cooper for her contributions to the arts and culture landscape of North Carolina.
In 2020, in partnership with the Play On! Shakespeare organization, she founded BLK GIRLS LUV THE BARD – a virtual theatre space – BGLTB reimagines, reframes, and examines plays by William Shakespeare through the lens of Black and POC women/femme-identifying artists. JaMeeka and BGLTB are 2021-22 recipients of both the NC Art Equity Grant from the NC Arts Council and a BOLD Ventures grant from the National BOLD Women’s Theatre Circle.
An alumnus of The Lark Play Development Center Apprenticeship program, JaMeeka has been an Assistant Director with The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Playmakers Repertory, and an Associate Director with Duke Performances at Duke University and at LaMAMA Experimental Theatre Club in New York.
Her directing work ranging from contemporary plays to classical theatre has appeared at Northern Stage, Shakespeare in Detroit, Classic Stage, Durham Performing Arts Center, Manbites Dog, The Department of Theatre at Dartmouth, Duke University’s Department of Theatre Studies, the Professional Actors Program at UNC-Chapel Hill/PlayMakers Rep, the National Black Theatre Festival, and The National Women’s Theatre Fest. JaMeeka is a published contributor in the 2018 Routledge Companion to African American Theatre and Performance.
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets to "Much Ado About Nothing" can be purchased through the Performing Arts Box Office by phone at 330-672-ARTS (2787) or online at the link below.
To purchase tickets in person, visit the Performing Arts Box Office located in the Roe Green Center lobby of the Center for the Performing Arts at 1325 Theatre Drive.
The box office is open Mon. – Fri., Noon to 5 pm.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for Â鶹´«Ã½ alumni, $14 for faculty and staff, $14 for seniors (60+) and non-Kent State students age 18 and under are $10. Tickets for full-time, Kent campus undergraduates are free of charge. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $12 per person. Flex pass subscriptions are also available. The box office accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checks, and cash.
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Media Contact:
Joni Koneval, 330-672-0116, jkoneval@kent.edu