The Re-Theatre Instrument

Classic: May 8 - June 6, 2009
Adaptation: May 15 - June 6, 2009

performing at
The Portland Center for the Performing Arts
Brunish Hall
1111 SW Broadway
Portland, OR

For Tickets & Information

Call: 503-922-2453
Visit: 1111 SW Broadway
Thursdays are Pay-What-You-Will

The Re-Theatre Instrument presents two exciting productions of Much Ado About Nothing, a brand new modern adaptation in repertory with Shakespeare's luminescent language.

The Classic - The fireworks erupt once again in 1920's era New Orleans where the joints were jumpin', the jazz was hot as a bayou summer, and a rivalry is only as good as the last biting quip. See which of the finest wit-warriors the stage has ever known can trump the other in a Bucktown speakeasy. With love on the line, all bets are off.

The Adaptation - Marriage is in the air, and it's infectious. The Best Man has fallen in love with the wedding planner, the Groomsman is bickering with the Tailor, the Dating Guru is on holiday and the Head Usher is smarting from a nasty case of the Nuptial Blues. But hey, as the good Bard says, the world must be peopled.

About the Adaptation

The Re-Theatre Instrument’s Much Ado About Nothing is a contemporary dialogue adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. RTI began the rehearsal process with only a story outline and built all the text through improvisation, though the show you will see is performed from a now completed script.

Reviews & Testimonials

"...make room for Luke Norby and Jamie M. Rea’s Benedick and Beatrice, whose delightfully raunchy and passionate scenes carry the show..."
Caitlin McCarthy, Willamette Week (Re: The Classic)
Click to read the whole article.

"...scenes abounding in effervescent repartee..."
Richard Wattenberg, The Oregonian (Re: The Adaptation)
Click to read the whole article.

"This skillful ensemble clearly has fun while carefully delivering Shakespeare's text..."
Richard Wattenberg, The Oregonian (Re: The Classic)
Click to read the whole article.

"...brings a freshness and vitality to this classic text..."
Marty Hughley, The Oregonian (Re: The Repertory Project)
Click to watch the video.

"...I think this sort of work is invigorating to theatre craft and [I] love it...."
Nicole Lane

Cast

Stephanie Blair - Hero (Adaptation & Classic) Stephanie Blair's acting experience, professionally and in school, spans over nine years. With a BA in Theatre from the University of Colorado, she moved to Portland to pursue theatre in this hip town. Recent credits include Margie in Landscape of the Body with Profile Theatre, and Amy in Moon Fable, a play she co-wrote with SideCar Theatre and performed at the San Francisco Fringe Festival. She has taught acting to kids/teenagers for over five years, most recently as a teacher/director at The Columbia Gorge School of Theatre and with Young Players: Acting Workshops for kids. In the near future, she hopes to pursue voice-over acting as well. Other passions include French language, fantasy novels and the great outdoors. She is thrilled to work with Re-Theatre Instrument. Thank you and love to the cast and crew.
Nick Ferrucci - Claudio (Adaptation & Classic) Nick Ferrucci was born and raised in Puyallup, Washington. He is new to the area and happy to have his first Portland theatre experience with Re-Theatre. Previously he attended Southern Oregon University pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and plans to go back and graduate from there in the spring of 2010. He has acted in several plays in Southern Oregon, including one season with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in A View From The Bridge and understudying in Othello. Previous SOU credits include: Patrice Bombelles in Ring Round The Moon, Silenus, Narrator 2 ‘Alcyone & Ceyx,’ Narrator ‘Erysicthon,’ Phaeton, Eros in Metamorphoses, Jester in Many Moons, Nick in Swimming in the Shallows, Whether Man in The Phantom Tollbooth, Uncle Willie in The Philadelphia Story, Protean in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Jeff Gorham - Ben (Adaptation) & Don Pedro (Classic) See company bios.
Tony Green - Borachio & Friar Francis (Classic) Anthony holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from Southern Oregon University. He has acted on stage up and down the west coast from Los Angeles, CA to Seattle, WA. For the past several years Anthony has been on the adjunct faculty of the College of the Siskiyous in northern California. He recently moved to Portland specifically because of the city’s reputation for quality theatre. Past roles include Dennis Shepard in The Laramie Project, Silvio in PVT. Wars and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet. This year Anthony will be completing a MA in Theatre Production and Design through the Ashland Center for Theatre Studies at SOU.
Kyle Lange - John (Adaptation) & Dogberry (Classic) See company bios.
Jon Lee - Tony (Adaptation) & Leonato (Classic) Jon Lee lives in Portland and acts in theatre and film. Recent work includes Vaclav Havel’s Garden Party (The Director) and Anne Washburn’s Communist Dracula Pageant (Ceausescu) for Defunkt Theater, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Speckled Band (Mr. Armitage) and Sheakspeare’s The Tempest (Gonzalo) for NWCT, and Molieré’s School for Wives (Arnolph) and Goldini’s Servant of Two Masters (Pantalone). He’ll be playing the part of ‘Pops’ in the film The Imaginals, shooting this spring. Other films include Uri, in Lady Wasteland #3&5, a webisode, and the Pawn Shop Owner in The New Scarf.
Tom Mounsey - Leo (Adaptation) & Don John (Classic) See company bios.
Luke Norby - Donnie P (Adaptation) & Benedick (Classic) See company bios.
Jamie Rea - Dogberry (Adaptation) & Beatrice (Classic) See company bios.
Melissa Whitney - Beatrice (Adaptation) & Margaret (Classic) Much Ado About Nothing marks Melissa's first production with Re-Theatre, and she is thrilled to be joined by such a professional and talented group of artists. A company member with Northwest Classical Theatre Company, her favorite Shakespeare roles have included Rosalind in As You Like It, Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Lakewood Theatre), and Lavinia in Titus Andronicus. Melissa was involved in a production of MAAN with Quintessence Theatre a few years ago where she played Hero, and can now proudly say that she has played all the women in Much Ado About Nothing! Next she plans on tackling the male roles.

Staff and Designers

Jason Zimbler, Director - Adaptation

See company bios.

Ernie Johns, Director - Classic

Ernest Johns is very happy to be making his Portland debut with the Re-Theatre’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. A New York City based director, arts administrator and teacher, he has been an Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director for several New York theatre companies, most notably the Jean Cocteau Repertory Company, where he directed critically acclaimed productions of Night and Day, Arms and the Man, The Importance of Being Earnest, Dona Rosita the Spinster, and The Maids. He has also worked with the Atlantic Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theatre, The Classic Stage Company, The Open Eye New Stagings, and Blue Man Group. He has served on the theatre faculty of Brooklyn College, Queens College, Marymount College, and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. This is his first time in Portland, and finds it to be a beautiful and most remarkable city.

Francesca Sanders, Script Consultant - Adaptation

Francesca Sanders is an award winning playwright who hails from Portland, Oregon. Since she began writing in 2000, she’s been the recipient of The Oregon Literary Fellowship for Drama, Portland Civic Theatre Guild Fellowship for Theatrical Excellence, Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation- Playwriting Grant, Women’s Work Residency- New Perspectives Theatre, New York; Commission- Portland Center Stage; Commission- Integrity Productions (8 Views Towards Center October/ November 2007.) She’s also been selected to participate in the Seven Devil’s Playwriting Conference (for I Become A Guitar) and The Kennedy Center Summer Playwriting Intensive. She was named a Finalist for the 2008 Oregon Book Award for Drama (I Become A Guitar.)

Sam Kusnetz, Sound & Video Designer & Production Manager

Chad Bianchi, Scenic Designer

Chad Bianchi has been ecstatic to work with Re-Theatre for the first time and loves working with such a talented group of people; working in a way he's never been a part of before. His previous PDX credits include the work at Theatre Vertigo for scene designer of Romance and scenic artist/stage manager of Pterodactyls. At Profile Theatre he was production assistant of Biloxi Blues and has worked at Portland Center Stage as an overhire carpenter. Hailing from Colorado, he has done scene designs for childrens theatre productions of Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz. Among his work at University of Denver he has scene designs for Savage/Love, Rag, Misses of Wit, and Proof.

MaryChris Mass, Costume Designer

Summer Liddell, Lighting Designer

Summer Liddell is a young lighting designer and stagehand. She has worked with many dance and theatre companies including Portland Festival Ballet, Lake Oswego Acedamy of Dance, Bouand Dance Company, and White Bird Dance. Summer enjoys lighting design and has been doing it since high school. Summer is excited to be working with Re-Theatre Instrument and hopes to work with them again in the future.

Luke Norby, Associate Video Designer

See company bios.

Mimi Bain, Stage Manager

Mimi Bain was delighted to fly from Vermont to Portland to stage manage for this production. She is between colleges at the moment, and looks forward to receiving a BA in Theatre from some nice liberal arts college somewhere, at some point in the near future. Mimi has stage managed various productions including Welcome to the Moon, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Cabaret, and Jesus Christ Superstar. When not calling cues, she has performed as Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story, Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Defenseless Creature in The Good Doctor. Mimi is just pleased as punch to be working on this production, and could easily see herself spending a little more time here in Portland.

Much Ado on KGW's Live at 7