Much Ado About Buxton's Latest Shakespeare
3 November 2009
A scene from Much Ado About Nothing, the third Shakespeare in the Dome production at the University of Derby Buxton.
Our Shakespeare in the Dome productions always have a magical quality about them and this year's was no exception.
”Paul Hurt, Production Co-ordinator for Theatre Arts.
Staging the troubled courtship of two couples in 16th Century Italy created no problems at all for the University of Derby Buxton and Buxton Opera House, with their co-production of Much Ado About Nothing.
The Shakespearean comedy - about the fraught courtships of Claudio and Hero, and the quick-witted Benedick and Beatrice, caught up in the intrigues of two nobles - was the third Shakespeare play staged 'in the round' by the Opera House and the University, under the campus's magnificent Devonshire Dome building.
Over four nights (October 28 - 31) the play attracted a combined audience of almost 1,900 people - an increase of 10% on the previous Dome production, in 2007, of Twelfth Night.
Never one to shy away from trying something different, some of the 400-year-old characters in the play at the University site even came on stage riding Segways.
The Segway is an electrically powered, one person vehicle, driven by standing upright and turning a two-handled steering column. University Travel and Transport Manager James Brown negotiated the loan of two Segways to be used in the play - a first for the company involved, Segways UK.
Paul Hurt, Production Co-ordinator for Theatre Arts at the University of Derby, said: "Our Shakespeare in the Dome productions always have a magical quality about them and this year's was no exception.
"I am very proud of the professionalism all the students showed, from those up front such as Theatre Arts, to the Sound and Technical staff who do such a great job of transforming the Dome's space."
Andrew Aughton, Chief Executive of the Opera House and Producer of all three Shakespeare in the Dome productions, added: "This is a brilliant creative partnership for the Opera House to be involved with, especially as it makes such a fantastic contribution to the training and development of young actors from the University."
The play's cast was a mix of current and former University of Derby Theatre Arts students.
Light and sound came courtesy of the University's Live Event Technology undergraduates, who, together with the Producer and technical crew of Buxton Opera House, transformed the Dome into a unique theatre-in-the-round, with tiered seating for 600 people.
For further media information please contact Press and PR Officer Sean Kirby on 01332 591891 or 07876 476103, or email s.kirby@derby.ac.uk.
