A funny thing happened on the way to Shakespeare On The Square’s Thirtieth Anniversary Season – we cancelled it! But we heard so often and so longingly from so many people “but it isn’t summer in Knoxville without Shakespeare” that we came up with an alternate plan.
Instead of our usual season on Market Square we are going to the wide open space at Ijams Nature Center where there is a wonderful sloping hillside where an audience can watch the play while maintaining social distancing.
Keeping in mind size restrictions and safe practices we are presenting a very special five actor Much Ado About Nothing in which each actor will play three roles! It will be a highly stylized modern dress production in which our five actors will change characters mid scene and carry on conversations with themselves!
This production is being presented in collaboration with 70/30 Creative.
Much Ado About Nothing opens on Thursday, August 6, at the pavilion outside the visitors center at Ijams Nature Center. It continues through Aug. 23, a three week run rather than out usual five week run.
Admission is free. A donation basket will be passed with a $ 10.00 suggested donation. To help maintain audience size restrictions Ijams Nature Center, the Tennessee Stage Company and 70/30 creative ask that reservations be made prior to attending at ijams.org/Shakespeare.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
7:30 pm, Thursday through Sunday evenings
August 6 – 23
Ijams Nature Center 2915 Island Home Avenue 37920
This most perfect of romantic comedies centers on Shakespeare’s wittiest lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, two people determined to avoid the foolishness of love at all costs! The verbal fireworks between these two make up some of Shakespeare’s best writing. Along the way we meet more lovers, distraught fathers, villains and the 16th century’s answer to the Three Stooges – Dogberry and the Watch. Of course, like all good comedies, everyone ends up married – more or less. “I will live in the heart, die In thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes.”
