Much Ado About Nothing

Tier5 Theatre Company presents...

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

by William Shakespeare

“Thou and I are too wise to woo peaceably.”

Directed by James Cougar Canfield and Kate Rankine

Thursday, August 14th through Sunday, August 24th, 2025

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7pm,

Sundays at 2pm

plus additional performances

Sunday, August 17th at 7pm and Thursday, August 21st at 2pm

All performances to take place at

El Barrio's ArtSpace PS109

215 E 99th St, New York, NY 10029

The theatre space is ADA-accessible.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Benedick and Beatrice have history. Big, messy, will-they-won’t-they, love/hate history. The best kind, am I right? And everyone knows it. So when Benedick, along with the regiment of soldiers he belongs to returns to Leonato’s four star resort in Messina, where Beatrice happens to be living, things are about to get fun. Oh, there’s also Claudio and Hero, who totally have the hots for each other but aren’t ever going to make a move- without a little help. And then there’s Don John, he’s gorg but likes to cause a little (well, a lot) of trouble. And all taking place at a beautiful beachside resort? It’s giving White Lotus- we just hope everyone makes it out alive.

After the smashing success of last summer’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Tier5 is ecstatic to bring another of Shakespeare’s iconic comedies to life and put their signature twist on this classic about rumors, gossip, falling in love, and falling out of it.

Note: Elements of the show will be immersive, they are not interactive. We ask all patrons to respect the actors as they move through the space.

CW Warning: Mature and sexual themes. Flashing lights.

Recommended for ages 13+

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ABOUT THE TICKETS

General admission tickets are $30 each, with no assigned seating.

For each performance, a limited number of $15 tickets will be available. We encourage those who can afford to purchase the full-price ticket to reserve these $15 tickets for those who may need more financial assistance. No assigned seating.

Tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to make your performance, we may be able to transfer your ticket to another show, based on availability.

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ABOUT THE EVENING

Run Time: TBD

House will open 15-30 minutes prior to the curtain time. Late seating will be at the discretion of the house manager. No refunds will be provided for late arrivals.

No outside food allowed. Concessions will be available to purchase before the show and during intermission.

Masks are optional.

Directions

When entering El Barrio's ArtSpace, you will proceed through the gates, straight ahead into the main building. Inside the theatre, take the stairs or elevator to your right down one level. Once on the lower level, proceed to your right and you will see our box office table.

Dress Code

Please wear whatever you feel comfortable in. That being said, we are at a fabulous 4-star resort on the Italian beachside, so feel to dress in your favorite resort/beach outfit!

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CAST

Benedick | Regina Renée Russell*

Beatrice | Charlotte Ferraro

Don Pedro | Sam Turlington*

Hero | Debra Nguyen

Claudio | Riley (RJ) Payne*

Leonato | Kristin KP Sgarro

Ursula | Logie Clingan

Don John/Sexton | Corinne Prudente

Borachio | Grace Petrillo

Balthasar | Emmett Pryor

Dogberry | Jazzlyn Newton

Verges | Julia Labusch

Margaret / First Watchman | Jett Roberts

Father Francis / Second Watchman | Yeshi Berry

*Denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association

An Equity Approved Showcase

CREATIVES

Stage Manager | Veronica Murphy

Assistant Stage Manager | Siobhan Petersen

Sound Design & House Management | James Cougar Canfield

Lighting Design & Technical Management | Kim Sanchez

Costume Design | Adanne Spencer-Johnson

Set/Properties & Media Design | M. Hatten

Intimacy Coordinator | Lisa LaGrande

Tier5 Executive Producer | James Cougar Canfield

Tier5 Associate Producer | Diane Bertrand-Goldsmith

Tier5 Associate Producer | M. Hatten

Tier5 Literary Manager | Charlotte Ferraro

Co- Producer | Joni Canfield

Co- Producer | Laurie Goldstein

ABOUT TIER5 THEATRE COMPANY

Founded in 2015 in London, then relocated to NYC, Tier5 takes classic tales and historical events and retells them on stage in a new light, focusing on bringing those excluded from the narrative right to center stage.

Our previous award winning and critically acclaimed original shows include Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII (Hollywood Fringe International Award Winner 2017, regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare), meg jo beth amy & louisa (regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare Company), The Christmas Carol: A Queer Fantasia (Metrosource Top Pick, premiered at the Access Theatre in NYC), and The Secret Garden (regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare Company)

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tier5 began creating virtual content, including launching the Tier5 Sings! virtual concert series and our recent virtual new play festival, Fairytales From Home.

In 2021, Tier5 premiered our very first animated venture, Tier5's Romeo & Juliet: The Tragic Tale of Two Animal Cross-ed Lovers. Released in five parts over five weeks, the animated series combines the voice acting of our Tier5 talent with the adorable characters of the Nintendo video game phenomenon, Animal Crossing. It was featured in Digital World, an evening celebrating exceptional work in the digital arts. All episodes are currently available to stream on our YouTube channel.In December 2022, after nearly a three-year hiatus from live performance, Tier5 returned to in-person productions with a staged reading of James Cougar Canfield’s latest play, Legend of the Chalk Circle, a wild and wacky retelling of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, at The Tank NYC. The reading was a sold-out success, and the show transferred to a full production in March 2023 at the American Theatre of Actors in NYC.

Tier5 has continued to partner with The Tank NYC to produce work-in-progress staged readings, including The Secret Garden by James Cougar Canfield (August 2023), Julius: Harlem’s Caesar by M. Hatten (October 2023), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by James Cougar Canfield (January 2024), United in Love, Until Death by Amanda Thomas (January 2024), Styx & Stones by Seth Barnes (May 2024), John Deserves to Die by Rachel Greene (July 2024), and our inaugural SpookyFest in Fall 2024, which featured new takes on the horror genre, and will return for its second outing in 2025.

In 2024, Tier5 began its residence at El Barrio’s ArtSpace PS109 with a Season of ShakesQueer, featuring our full production transfer of M. Hatten’s Julius: Harlem’s Caesar and our Pride-themed take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Both were award nominated and critically acclaimed.

Tier5’s focus on revisiting classic tales and historical narratives in a modern context with contemporary voices, humor, and pathos has become a staple of the company. Tier5 believes in and will continue to strive towards creating a safe, inclusive, and anti-racist environment for our creatives, actors, and audiences.

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Social Media: @tier5theatrecompany

Website: Tier5TheatreCompany.com