California Shakespeare Theater to Open 25th Season at the Bruns with MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

California Shakespeare Theater marks the beginning of its 25th season at the glorious Bruns Amphitheater with Shakespeare's sassiest battle royale, Much Ado About Nothing, in a newly-minted adaptation by Kenneth Lin and Jackson Gay, with additional text by Lin, and directed by Gay in her Cal Shakes debut. Much Ado About Nothing plays from May 25 through June 19; for tickets and information, contact the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666 or visit www.calshakes.org

Jackson Gay, named "one of the power-players of Off-Broadway" by the New York Times, is no stranger to Shakespeare's most famous sparring partners, having spent the last two years developing and premiering the musical adaptation These Paper Bullets, a "mod-ish rip-off [of Much Ado] with a serious backbeat", created in collaboration with playwright Rolin Jones, with music by Grammy award-winner Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.

"[The Cal Shakes version of Much Ado] is going to be a streamlined version of the play that enjoys all the fun and energy of the original, while [exposing] some of the play's sharper [insights on] race and class," says Jackson Gay. "Imagine the biggest celebrity wedding in America; now imagine all the non-invited people standing outside the gate yearning for a glimpse of the happy couple. What do the outsiders dream about when they put themselves on the other side of the gate? I think our production will open up conversations about the large, wonderful, imaginative people who are never invited to the party. [It asks the question:] should [they] wait for their invitation to arrive in the mail, have their own party, or crash the party and enliven it in wonderful ways."

"Shakespeare's plays have always had a certain amount of gender bending and cross-dressing in them," Gay adds. "Recently there are more and more contemporary artists and productions exploring this in their work and Kenneth Lin and I wanted to join this exciting ongoing conversation. In our casting for Much Ado, maleness and femaleness will be up for grabs. Our actors will be trying on a lot of different roles, affording them with perspectives that ideally will surprise the characters, themselves, and the audience. It will be a fluid and theatrical endeavor. There is something about stripping away gender constraints that allows us to see these characters in a fresh way-making the familiar unfamiliar to allow you to look at it with fresh eyes. A woman playing a male and vice versa can highlight certain behavior and ideas of power (or the lack of power) in a surprising and compelling way. Our wonderful cast shares a generosity and infectious sense of fun and theatrical play. They all have the gravitas needed to look past normal gender roles and dig deeply into the core of these characters to reveal their shared humanity and desires."

The cast for Much Ado About Nothing includes James Carpenter as Beatrice (title role in Titus Andronicus, Alfred Doolittle in Pygmalion, among others); Stacy Ross as Benedick (Malvolio in 2015's Twelfth Night, title role in Mrs. Warren's Profession); Safiya Fredricks as Hero (Into the Woods, SF Playhouse; Blackademics, Crowded Fire); Patrick Alparone as Don John (King of France, King Lear; title role in Hamlet at Impact Theatre); Anthony Fusco as Dogberry (Charles in Blithe Spirit; Rev. Morell in Candida); Denmo Ibraham as Claudio (I Call My Brothers, Crowded Fire; New Strands Festival, A.C.T.); Rami Margron as Borachio/Margaret (Orsino in 2015's Twelfth Night, Macbeth at Berkeley Rep), and Lance Gardner as Ursula/Don Pedro (Flute in 2009's Midsummer Night's Dream; Proof, TheatreWorks). Ms. Fredricks and Ms. Ibraham make their Cal Shakes debuts with this production.

The creative team for Much Ado About Nothing includes set designer Eric Flatmo, whose previous designs for Cal Shakes include American Night, Richard III, Uncle Vanya, and Mrs. Warren's Profession; costume designer Karina Chavarin, whose work has been seen at the Magic, SF Playhouse, and Santa Cruz Shakespeare, among others; lighting designer Paul Whitaker, whose work has been enjoyed at regional theaters across the country, including Alley Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Rep, and Guthrie Theatre; and sound designer/composer Olive Mitra, creator of the original music for Cal Shakes' touring productions of Twelfth Night and The Tempest, and performer in such productions as Ondine (We Players), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (SF Playhouse), and Beardo (Shotgun Players).

Jackson Gay (Director) is a founding member of New Neighborhood, Director of Artistic Programming for Fuller Road Artist Residency, and teaches directing at Columbia University School of the Arts and Yale College. Her most recent projects include Jen Silverman's The Moors (Yale Rep); Grounded (Alley Theatre); These Paper Bullets! Adapted from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing by Rolin Jones with music by Billie Joe Armstrong (Atlantic Theater Company, Geffen Playhouse, Yale Rep - Critics Pick Time Out NY, Best Production and Adaptation, LA Sage Awards, Best of 2015 Time Out Los Angeles, Connecticut Critics Circle Award Best Production and Best Director); I Saw My Neighbor On The Train And I Didn't Even Smile by Suzanne Healthcote (co-production New Neighborhood/Berkshire Theatre Festival); Elevada by Sheila Callaghan (Yale Rep); The Insurgents by Lucy Thurber (Labyrinth Theater Company); 3C by David Adjmi (Rattlestick/piece by piece/Rising Phoenix); Lucy Thurber's Where We're Born - 2014 Obie Award-winning The Hilltown Plays (Rattlestick); Rolin Jones's The Jammer (Atlantic Theater Company) and The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Atlantic and Yale Rep, Connecticut Critics Circle Award Outstanding Production of a Play); A Little Journey (Mint Theater Company, Drama Desk nomination Outstanding Revival of a Play). Other Desert Cities, August: Osage County, Red, and Kenneth Lin's Intelligence-Slave (Alley Theatre). Upcoming projects include Three Sisters / No Sisters by Chekhov and Aaron Posner (co-production New Neighborhood / Washington DC's Studio Theater) Suzanne Vega's An Evening with Carson McCullers (Rattlestick and Rattlestick West LA).

Kenneth Lin is a writer/producer on the Emmy-award winning House of Cards, and is currently developing a number of original series. Plays include Warrior Class (TCG Edgerton New Play Prize), Fallow (Barrymore Nomination: Outstanding New Play, Brown Martin Philadelphia Award), Intelligence-Slave, Po Boy Tango, (TCG Edgerton New Play Prize), said Saïd (Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition Winner, L. Arnold Weissberger Award, Princess Grace Award), Life On Paper, Agency*, and Genius In Love have been seen at theaters throughout the country, including the Second Stage Theatre Company, Alliance Theatre, Northlight Theatre Company, Alley Theatre, People's Light and Theatre Company, South Coast Rep, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Marin Theater Company and East West Players. Theatrical commissions include Rob Ahrens Productions, Alley Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Rep, Wilma Theater and Arena Stage. Residencies: Ojai Playwrights Conference, Ucross Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Lark Playwrights Workshop, Interstate 73, New York Stage and Film, McCarter Playwrights Retreat.

Single tickets for Much Ado About Nothing range from $20 to $72, with discounts available for seniors, youth, students, military families, persons age 30 and under, and groups. Prices, dates, titles, and artists are subject to change. For information or to charge tickets by phone with VISA, MasterCard, or American Express, call the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666. Additional information and online ticketing are available at www.calshakes.org.

California Shakespeare Theater's 2016 season is supported in part by the generosity of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the Dean & Margaret Lesher Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation. Corporate partners include BART, City National Bank, John Muir Health, Meyer Sound, Peet's Coffee & Tea, and San Francisco magazine; production partner for Much Ado is United Airlines.