Cast Announced for MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – Feb. 14-March 2 at 133rd Street Arts Center

Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Gregory Couba

February 14-March 2, 2013 – 16 Performances:
Wednesday & Thursday @ 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday @ 8pm
Saturday @ 3pm / Sundays @ 5pm

133rd Street Arts Center
308 West 133rd Street, Harlem, NYC 10027

Tickets are $22-$25. Visit SnappedProductions.com or call 347-762-7731.
$20 discounted tickets are available through January 31st for select performances.

Runtime: Approx. 2 Hours with one intermission.

Snapped Productions presents William Shakespeare’s classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Gregory Couba directs a cast of 18 including Harpreet Chaggar, Jon Dalin, Jeffrey Delano Davis, Ratnesh Dubey, Ann Gulian, Matt Kelley, Mary-Rose Mack, Norihito Moriya, Keith R. Oliver, Al-nisa Petty, Robby Ramos, Donny Repsher, Jon Adam Ross, Gonçalo Ruivo, Caleb Schaaf, Peter Van Derick, Gary Warchola and Tina Ward. Much Ado About Nothing will run at the 133rd Street Arts Center, 308 West 133rd Street in Harlem, New York City for 16 performances, February 14-March 2, 2013.

Love. War. Conspiracy. Sex. Betrayal. Death. Could all these things truly amount to Nothing? In Shakespeare’s beloved comedy Much Ado About Nothing, Don Pedro and his men return victoriously from war to the house of Leonato, Governor of Messina. Proven in battle, Claudio proposes to Leonato’s dutiful daughter Hero, to the dismay of his comrade, Benedick, who wittily battles with the Lady Beatrice on the demerits of love. The stage is set for merry conflict as those who jest at love are caught in a hilarious conspiracy to make them fall in love. Meanwhile a sinister plot brews to unmake Claudio and Hero’s nuptials, setting in motion a series of events that challenge loyalties, test character, and examine the fickleness of life and love.

Incorporating a vibrant and diverse cast, Snapped Productions deconstructs outdated female archetypes, challenges masculine stereotypes, and advances the classic ideas about male/female relationships, seen here through a modern lens. Much Ado About Nothing is exactly that—the whimsy of human beings taking what should be simple – love – and making it absurdly (and often times, laughably) complex.

Much Ado About Nothing plays for 16 performances from February 14-March 2, 2013 on the following schedule: Wednesday & Thursday at 7:30pm; Friday & Saturday at 8pm; Saturday at 3pm; and Sunday at 5pm.

Tickets are $22-$25 and can be purchased by visiting SnappedProductions.com or by calling 347-762-7731.

The run time for Much Ado About Nothing is two hours with one intermission.

Gregory Couba (director) is a director, actor, singer, and teacher. He has performed with various theater companies in New York City, and toured nationally with Nebraska Theatre Caravan. He has particularly enjoyed portraying some of Shakepeare’s great clowns, including Ariel, Puck, and Feste. As an operatic character tenor, he’s played Goro in Madame Butterfly and Monostatos in The Magic Flute. He has directed a production of Amahl and the Night Visitors at the Long Island Academy of Music, as well as directing the Larry Singer Studios acting showcase “BIO”. In addition, he has taught classes there focusing on body awareness, alignment, and physical acting. He attended Hofstra University, where he minored in Dance, and graduated with a BFA in Theatre Arts (Performance and Production). He is also a personal trainer certified with the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Snapped Productions creates work that builds community and realizes artistic expression, in an environment that supports the upward careers of company members.

With a focus on “new voices”–supporting new plays and playwrights, breathing fresh ideas into classic works, offering unique opportunities to emerging actors and stage managers, and showcasing the work of imaginative, up-and-coming directors and design staff—Snapped Productions ensures that the vital human need for storytelling grows limitlessly. Through a commitment to diversity, Snapped Productions brings audiences relevant, truthful productions representative of personal and community expression.

While remaining firmly in the realm of theatre, Snapped Productions explores all types of media as expression, promotion and extension of work on the stage. By committing to produce two shows per year, Snapped hopes to build a reputation in the theater community of delivering high-quality, refreshing productions whilst offering professional opportunities to artistic staff and cast. One production will be a new work developed through collaboration with the playwright. The other production will a classic or revival work, specifically chosen to give opportunity to a director, artistic and production staff at the beginning of their careers. www.snappedproductions.com

Publicity Photo (above): Conrade (Harpreet Chaggar), Don John (Robby Ramos) and Borachio (Matt Kelley) plot mischief. Photo is courtesy of Snapped Productions.