Portland Shakes Presents MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING as Part Of OSF's Play On! Project

On May 6, Portland Shakespeare Project presents a staged reading of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare in a modern verse translation by Ranjit Bolt. This free staged reading is directed by Portland Shakes Artistic Director Michael Mendelson and is presented at Artists Repertory Theatre, on the Alder Stage, Sunday, May 6, at 7:30pm. The evening includes two free discussions, one pre-show beginning at 6:30pm and another post-show.

This fresh take on Shakespeare's comedy is part of Oregon Shakespeare Festival's (OSF) three-year Play On! project which aims to translate 36 of Shakespeare's plays into contemporary modern English. The translator, Ranjit Bolt, is a British playwright and translator. He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003 for his services to literature. OSF Dramaturg Lydia Garcia is the dramaturg for this play. She received her BA from Harvard University and her MFA from Yale. Bolt and Garcia will work closely with director Mendelson throughout the rehearsal process for the reading at Artists Rep.

This Much Ado About Nothing translation was commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Bill Rauch and Executive Director Cynthia Rider as part of Play on! 36 playwrights translate Shakespeare, funded by a generous grant from the Hitz Foundation.