Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Programs to Present MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, 10/18-20

The Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Programs proudly presents one of Shakespeare's wittiest comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, directed byFlordelino Lagundino (Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs '15). Full of hilarity and compassion, Much Ado About Nothing follows the epic journey of human transformation, the power of understanding, and the ultimate battle for true love. Performances run Friday, October 18 at 7:30PM, Saturday, October 19 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM, and Sunday, October 20 at 2:00PM in the Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence. General admission $10, and $5 for students and seniors. Tickets are on-sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, by phone (401) 351-4242, and online at www.trinityrep.com.

Just home from war, young nobleman Claudio sweeps lovely Hero off her feet and proposes marriage. As the young lover's relationship blossoms, a "merry war" of wits is sparked between fellow soldier, Benedick and Beatrice. Just when happily ever after seems within reach for these two couples, the tale takes a twisted turn of fate.

"While at first glance this play is simply a romantic comedy, I decided to do this show because I was interested in examining what it really means to "know" each other." explains director Flordelino Lagundino, "We see that "knowing" someone might mean hating them one minute and then being intensely attracted to them in the next." As director, his goal is simple, "I want the audiences to be able to hear the play in a very clear way. We are also playing a lot with how music connects to our deepest emotions. Music simply has a way of connecting with us in a way that language sometimes cannot. Whether it be dance music at a party, or a preacher singing at a funeral, music tells a story that we all can relate to."

The cast features second-year MFA acting students Devon Caraway (Hero), Uche Elueze (Claudio), Britt Faulkner (Beatrice), Billy Finn (Don Jon),Shelley Fort (Dogberrry), Elise Hudson (Antonia), Ralph Adriel Johnson (Benedick), Michael Jennings Mahoney (Don Pedro), Ian McNeely(Leonato), Sophie Netanel (Ursula, Watch 1), Andrew Polec (Verges, Balthasar), Marina Shay (Margaret, Watch 2), Whitney White (Conrade, Friar), and Max Wolkowitz (Borachio).

Flordelino Lagundino is a director, actor, theatre instructor, Artistic Director of Leviathan Lab in New York City, and Artistic Director of Generator Theater Company in Juneau, Alaska. His directing credits include In the Blood (Brown/Trinity Rep); Animals Out of Paper, Doubt, Yellowman, Topdog/Underdog, and the world premieres of Cedar House and Brother (Perseverance Theatre); Flipzoids, True West, Shakespeare's R&J, [title of show], and the world premiere of The Reincarnation of Stories (Generator Theater Company); Sweeney Todd (Juneau Symphony); Far Away (Yale Cabaret); and a developmental reading of Indian School Stories (The Flashpoint's Mead Theatre Lab). As an actor, Flordelino has performed regionally at The Shakespeare Theatre Company under the direction of Michael Kahn, The Kennedy Center, The Folger Theatre, Perseverance Theatre, Imagination Stage, ZACH Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. He has been the Allen Lee Hughes directing fellow at Arena Stage and a directing fellow at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he assisted Ping Chong on the World Premiere stage adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood and continued with the production to BAM's Next Wave Festival. Flordelino holds an MFA in acting from the University of Texas at Austin.

The Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Programs provides a three-year professional training program for eighteen students under the auspices of an Ivy League University and Rhode Island's Tony Award-winning theater company. Brown University's Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance is internationally recognized for the quality of its faculty and instruction. Trinity Rep, with its deep tradition of resident artists, provides powerful artistic assets and creates a firm foundation for a new generation of theater artists.