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slapstick humour, and the battle of wits between Benedick and Beatrice is a joy to behold. But beyond that Much Ado About Nothing has a deeper edge. Life feels precarious; the play begins and ends with references to war, and all the characters struggle with the challenge of keeping up appearances. This is an aspect we can all relate to and give the play its depth. As with all Shakespeare’s plays there is an empathy for this aspect of human frailty and a call to dance while you can.’
I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new CEO and Artistic Director of Creation. Lucy Askew led the company brilliantly for a decade, and taking on her role is no small feat. However, the entire Creation team has shown tremendous support. I am eagerly looking forward to meeting more of our audiences, so a warm welcome to tonight’s show. If you happen to see me, please feel free to come over and say hello. One of the most rewarding aspects of this job is discovering that many people have a Creation story to share of a show they loved, or an experience one of their children had at a Creation workshop.
Outdoor Shakespeare is making a comeback! This marks our first outdoor Shakespeare production since the pandemic, and we are thrilled to collaborate with OVO and perform in their stunning Roman venue, as well as in Oxford. As we rebuild the arts sector in the post-pandemic era, it is crucial to work together, share resources, and foster collaboration. We are delighted to be partnering with them, and we would greatly appreciate your assistance in spreading the word.
We warmly welcome back Helen Tennison, who has directed many of Creation’s most unforgettable productions, to helm this show. You are in for a treat. She describes the show: ‘It’s a laugh-out-loud fun night out in a gorgeous setting with some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful language and hidden depth. The extraordinary actors are impressive in their multi-rolling and adept switches between humour and pathos. There’s some great
The show features members of our repertory company. In our efforts to “build back better” post-pandemic, we partnered with two universities to explore what that entails. Job security and financial stability for artists became our top priorities. As a result, we now have four actors on permanent contracts with Creation, ensuring regular pay, holidays, and pensions. This arrangement allows them the necessary headspace to produce their finest work. While it is not easy to secure funding, we kindly ask you to consider making a donation to our fundraising campaign at the end of the production or becoming an Extra—a dedicated supporter who enjoys discounted tickets (as well as discounts on holiday camps) and priority, flexible booking.
So, here’s to enchanting nights of Shakespeare under the open sky. I hope you thoroughly enjoy the experience. Welcome to the world of Creation.
It takes a lot of people to create what you’re watching...
Lewis Chandler: Dogberry, Don Pedro,
Director: Helen Tennison
Costume & Set Design: Amy Watts
Sound Design: Matt Eaton
Brianna Douglas: Verges, Hero, Antonia
Margaret, Friar
Nicholas Osmond: Leonato, Don John,
Production Manager: Giles Stoakley
Stage Managers: Judith Volk, Hannah
McGeough
Production Assistant: Averil Tallack
Sexton
Emily Woodward: Beatrice
Anna Tolputt: Benedick
Herb Cuanalo: Claudio, Borachio
The Creation Team
The OVO Team Chairman: David Widdowson
Artistic Director & Chief Executive & – Helen
Trustees: David Berryman, Rob Ferguson, Jane Withers
General Manager – Charlie Morley
Eastman
Marketing Manager - Tamsin Purchase
Deputy Producer - Michael Deacon
Education Managers - Jess Braviner & Sarah
Artistic Director: Adam Nichols
Operations Director: Martin Sharman
Site Director: Simon Nicholas
Technical Managers: Michael Bird, Laurel Marks
Headen
Education Facilitators - Ryan Duncan, Claire
Production Managers: Ross McGregor, Emma Wright
Marketing: Cecily Batten, Kelly Stewart
The Board of Trustees: Julia Iball
Mills & Ben Moss
(Chairperson), James Bufford, Mary
Clarkson, Colin Fletcher, Peter Talbot, Carl
Tomlinson, Zool Verjee, Renee Watson
Photographers: Hannah Couzens, Elliott
Publicist: Judy Lipsey
Franks, Tim Morozzo
Front of House: Helena Bold-Davies, Alex Edwards, Vicky Harris, Louise O’ Sullivan, Natalie Sharman
Site Construction: Adam Bottomley, Michael
Bird, Helena Bold Davies, Delga Martineau, VinceMcLoughlin, Daisy Mitchell, John
Stenhouse
Much Ado About Nothing begins in Messina, where Leonato lives with his daughter, Hero, and her cousin and companion, the Lady Beatrice. Leonato receives word that his friend, the Duke Don Pedro has returned from war and plans to visit with some of his fellow soldiers. Among the party is Claudio, who quickly falls in love with Hero. Benedick, a bachelor who has sworn off love and marriage, also comes, and he enjoys speaking his mind in witty argument with Beatrice.
Leonato holds a masked ball to celebrate the end of the war. While at the ball, the engagement of Claudio and Hero is arranged. At the same time, Don Pedro’s brother, Don John, seeks a way to spoil the general happiness (just because he’s bitter and petty that way). Don John plots with the soldiers, Borachio and Conrad, to deceive Claudio into believing Hero has cheated on him.
That night, Hero’s maid, Margaret, talks with Borachio from Hero’s bedroom window. Claudio and the Duke watch secretly from a distance and think that the girl at the window is Hero. Meanwhile, Hero, Claudius and Don Pedro decide Benedick and Beatrice are ideal partners, despite (or because of) their bickering. They make a plot to allow Benedick to overhear them discussing Beatrice’s love for him and vice versa. After a series of overheard conversations, Benedick and Beatrice realise they do indeed love one another.
Act IV
At Hero’s wedding, Claudio is still deceived into thinking Hero cheated on him. He denounces her and leaves her apparently dead from shock. With the help of the priest, Leonato, Beatrice, and Benedick decide to pretend that Hero is actually dead until her name can be cleared. Later, the watchmen—managed by the bumbling village constable Dogberry–overhear Borachio and Conrad brag about the trick that they played on Claudio and Don Pedro. They arrest the pair.
Act V
Dogberry’s incriminating information is, after some difficulty, given to Leonato and Don Pedro. As penance for causing Hero’s death, Claudio agrees to accept Leonato’s “niece” in her place. The “niece” turns out to be Hero (conveniently). The play comes to a joyful conclusion as the lovers are reunited, and Benedick and Beatrice announce that they will share the wedding day. Don John has been captured while trying to escape and is left for future trial while the play ends with a merry dance.
From Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Helen Tennison has worked extensively with Creation to create exciting sitespecific adaptations of classic texts including Alice in Wonderland in Oxford University Parks and Dracula at The London Library. This summer she’s taking on our fun and feisty version of Much Ado About Nothing, we caught up with her in rehearsals to find out more:
When did you first read or see Much Ado About Nothing?
I remember watching the Kenneth Branagh film version and loving how feisty, funny and vulnerable Emma Thompson was as Beatrice.
What are you most looking forward to about the co-production with OVO at The Roman Theatre and the production at South Oxford Adventure Playground?
The Roman Theatre at St Albans is
a spectacular venue, it’s a setting that will bring out the beauty and lyricism that lies just beyond the immediate humour of Much Ado. An adventure playground really is a gift of a location and offers so many opportunities to bring out the humour and fun of Much Ado.
Tell us a bit about the style of your production/what era it’s set in/what music you’re using.
Much like its witty central characters, Much Ado About Nothing is a playful, boisterous show with hidden depths. War and jealousy form the backdrop to love and romance. So, I’ve set this Much Ado in the 1980s, a time of outrageous fashion, yuppie optimism and underlying political instability. We have a fabulous cast
of six actors playing Beatrice, Benedick and the other four actors play a madcap whirlwind of twelve roles between them. So expect slapstick, shoulder pads and banging 80s tracks with a sensitive soul. Alongside some classic 80s tracks, composer Matt Eaton will be creating some 80s style synthesiser music, especially for this production. We also decided that Hero’s perfect wedding was officiated by an Elvis impersonator, Las Vegas style, so look out for some classic crooning.
What do you think audiences will love most about this production?
It’s a laugh-out-loud fun night out in a gorgeous setting with some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful language and hidden depth. The extraordinary actors are impressive in their multi-rolling and adept switches between humour
and pathos. There’s some great slapstick humour, and the battle of wits between Benedick and Beatrice is a joy to behold. But beyond that Much Ado About Nothing has a deeper edge. Life feels precarious; the play begins and ends with references to war, and all the characters struggle with the challenge of keeping up appearances. This is an aspect we can all relate to and give the play its depth. As with all Shakespeare’s plays there is an empathy for this aspect of human frailty and a call to dance while you can.
What 3 words would you use to sum up your Much Ado About Nothing?
In 5 words! Fun,funky with hidden depth.
Lewis Chandler: Dogberry, Don Pedro, Margaret, Friar
Previous work with Creation: Peter Pan , A Midsummer Night’s Dream Cinderella Theatre: Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap (2019 UK Tour), The Misanthrope (Jermyn Street Theatre), Foul Pages (The Hope Theatre), Hamlet (Honey Tongued Theatre) The Devil is an Ass (Mercurius) Feature Film: Zack Snyder’s Justice League Radio: Trimble (URY) - nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award. For 3 years, Lewis was a member of The Shambles, York’s premier improv comedy troupe. As a singer, Lewis has performed at the National Theatre and Wilton’s Music Hall.
Brianna Douglas: Verges, Hero, Antonia
Stage: The Darkest Part of the Night (Kiln Theatre), Advent Plays 2021 (Oldham Coliseum), Beyond these Walls (Sheffield Crucible), Dead Certain (Hope Mill Theatre), Consent (Hope Street Theatre, Hamlet (Hope Mill Theatre). Television: Coronation Street (ITV), Emmerdale (ITV). Brianna plays the lead in 2023 BAFTA Nominated Short Film ‘The Ballad of Olive Morris’.
Nicholas Osmond: Leonato, Don John, Sexton Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Previously for Creation: The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast, The Signalman, Friar Lawrence’s Confessional; Horatio And Hamlet; A Christmas Carol; Alice; Aladdin; Much Ado About Nothing; Rapunzel. Theatre includes: Henry V, Antic Disposition; Witness For The Prosecution, London City Hall; The Lion King, international tour; Measure For Measure, Union Theatre; An Inspector Calls, UK tour for The National Theatre; King John, Union Theatre; The Shell Seekers, UK tour; Audio: Nicholas played Leon in BBC Radio 4’s, The Archers. Nicholas has also recorded numerous audio books, commercials, English language learning tapes, audio guides and has done ADR recording for several major TV and film productions, including: The Tourist, The Crown and Harry Potter. Nicholas has written four plays, all of which have been successfully produced by Creation Theatre Company: Horatio and Hamlet; Lear’s Daughters; Friar Lawrence’s Confessional, and a two person adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
Emily Woodward: Beatrice
Emily trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Theatre credits include: The Tale of the Beauty and the Tail of the Beast, The Emperor of the Moon (Creation Theatre), The Last Ones (Jermyn Street Theatre), Vivie Warren in Mrs Warren’s Profession (UK Tour), Private Lives (The Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh), The Winter’s Tale, The Grapes of Wrath, Under Milk Wood, Assumption (Mercury Theatre, Colchester), Macbeth (Drayton Theatre, London), Princess Diana in Fred and Gladys (The Landor, London), Virgins (Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh and national tour), Full Circle (UK tour). Film and TV credits include: Father Brown, Splinter, Heroes and Villains, The House Of Angelo and Doctors. Radio/Audio credits include: Tara King in multiple series of The Avengers (Big Finish), Doctor Who (Big Finish), Charlie’s Choice, Hedge of Thorns and A Peek Behind the Scenes (Lamplighter Theatre).
Anna Tolputt: Benedick Theatre includes In the Footsteps of the Mitfords, Contagion Cabaret, Around the World in 80 days (Chipping Norton), Spring Storm (National Theatre/ Northampton Royal), Larkrise to Candleford (Finborough), Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Entertainer (Derby Playhouse), Twelfth
Night, King Lear, As You Like it, Tempest, Great Expectations (Minack), Connie’s Colander, Cat in the Cupboard, Slug!, King Lear, Fahrenheit 451, Christmas Carol, 1984 (Tours) TV Credits include: A Small Light (Disney +) Emmerdale, Holby City, Waterloo Road, Moving Wallpaper, Teachers TV, From Galicia. Film Credits include: Two-Headed Creek, Hellraiser 8:Hellworld, Run Fat Boy Run, Confetti, Contagion Cabaret, The Scarcrow.
Herb Cuanalo: Claudio, Borachio Herb graduated from the Bristol Old Vic School, and is excited to be joining the Creation team! Theatre includes: The Signalman, The Emperor of the Moon (Creation Theatre), From Rushmere With Love (Eastern Angles) Hound of the Baskervilles (The Barn Theatre) A Midsummer Nights Dream (Faction Theatre) A Christmas Carol (Redbridge Arts Centre) Titus Andronicus (Siege Theatre)
Helen Tennison
Helen is a director, writer and theatremaker. She won an Edinbinurgh Fringe
First for Everything I See I Swallow, a show about intergenerational feminism featuring aerial rope and shibari. She is currently devising Forgive Me, about the positive impacts of gaming for autistic people, featuring pole dance and live gaming. Recent work include Dirty Corset, a piece of Restoration surrealism that toured the North of England, played The Pleasance, London and won Bergen Festivals
WOW award, Shirley Valentine, Teatret Sorte Hest, Copenhagen, Navigating Margaret (Director and writer) a large scale community project about living with Dementia and a psychogeography project for building sustainable cities as part of her role as Associate Artist at Greenwich University.Previous work for Creation Theatre includes, Dracula (London Library, Blackwells Bookshop) ALICE (University Parks, The Mill, Banbury, Lady Margaret Hall) Cinderella (The Mill, Banbury) Antony and Cleopatra (SAID business school) Tales from King James (North Wall, St Barnabas Church). She has worked at Shakespeare’s Globe, directed numerous times for Midsummer Scene Shakespeare Festival in Croatia and taken work to Bermuda Festival, Stockholm Festival and Vienna’s English Theatre as well as numerous UK venues and festivals in including Theatre Royal Winchester, the Arcola and Soho Theatre. In Association with Fuildford’s Yvonne Arnaud and Rosemary Branch Theatre Helen produced and directed three regional tours, Breakfast with Emma (Madame Bovary), Sense and Sensibility and Wuthering Heights (which she also adapted). Helen has led numerous theatre projects within the community, in prisons and young offenders institutions. As part of the Belgrade Theatre Community department. Helen lead theatre projects
for the youth theatre, young refugees, older people and workshops in theatre for confidence and good mental health. From 2015-17 Helen ran the Two Year Acting Course at Drama Studio London, she lectured in Shakespeare at Goldsmiths University and teaches at numerous Drama schools. From 2013-2022 she was visiting artist in residence at University of South Florida developing work around embodiment of space, architecture and community. She’s currently developing her solo absurd lecture-performance Doggerland supported by ACE and Het Zuidiljk Toneel, Netherlands where it was first performed.
Amy Watts
Amy graduated from Wimbledon College of Art with a BA (Hons) in Theatre Design: Design for Performance. Since then she has worked in many theatres in different roles: Associate Designer: (Live Theatre) Wet House. Assistant Designer: (ENO) Othello, Costume Designer: (Waterloo East Theatre) Profumo, (East 15) Hunchback of Notre Dame, Rhinoceros, Frankenstein, Three Kingdoms. Designer: (Reading Rep) Midsummer Nights Dream, (East Riding Theatre ) Hound of theBaskervilles, ( Hexham Theatre) The Remarkable Robin Armstrongs Extraordinary Christmas Adventure (UK Tour) Legend of Sleepy Hollow, (Northern Stage) Hound of the Baskervilles. (Live Theatre) Good Timin, West End Girls. (Arcola Theatre) Story Project Rage, Romance and Resolution, Miss Havisham’s Wedding Night / 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson. (London School of Musical Theatre) Grand Hotel, Lend me a Tenor, 9 to 5, King of Hearts. (Chichester University) Spring Awakening, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Sweeney Todd, Producers, Earthquakes in London and Footloose. (Touchpaper Theatre) Spaced 2014. (East 15) Revolution, (Guildford School of Acting)
Love and Information, Spring Awakening, Mill on the Floss, Same Deep water as Me, Time and the Conways, The Government Inspector , Love and Money, Girls Like That, Come out Eli and Buckets.
Matt Eaton
Matt is a sound designer and composer in Theatre, Film, Sound Art and Games. He is an associate artist at Creation Theatre. Matt is an Off-West Award winner of Best Sound Design for Guildford Shakespeare Company’s and Jermyn Street Theatre’s All’s Well That Ends Well (2020), composer and sound designer for Shasha and Taylors Everything I See I Swallow, Edinburgh Fringe First winner 2019, and sound designer for Andrea Asaaf’s Eleven Reflections on September, winner of Best Experimental Feature Film at the Silk Road Awards, Cannes in 2021. The film has numerous selections and awards worldwide. He is a founder of the musicians collective Pram, creators of cross-platform productions Shadow Shows (Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014), The Photophonic Experiment (Oxford Contemporary Music tour) and numerous album releases on the Domino Recording Company imprint. Recent credits as sound designer include Pictures of Dorian Gray, The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary (Jermyn Street Theatre), Brave New World (Dir. Jonathan Holloway for Creation Theatre Company), Furious Folly (Mark Anderson’s large scale artwork, commissioned by 14-18 NOW), The History Boys (UK Tour), The Time Machine (London Library), The Crucible and Orlando (as artist in residence at The University of South Florida), Pyar Actually (For Rifco Arts). As composer credits include A Page of Madness {Flatpack Film festival 2019), For-wards (Birmingham, citywide workshops in field recording, and commissioned work), Nosferatu (Warwick
Arts Centre), Faust (Flatpack Film Festival 2017), The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (Midlands Arts Centre), The Picture of Dorian Gray (London,Trafalgar Studios). VW and British Telecom advertisements. Sound Art. Everything Must Go (Friction Arts, Birmingham), Faith and Fracture (York Minster), Twelve Tones (Ikon Eastside’s city-wide project, Birmingham). Games. Pool Panic (Nintendo Video Game).
Giles Stoakley
Giles has been working as an actor and stage manager for more than a decade and in the last five years has moved into Production Management. His first production experience was as production manager for Pantomimes. Since then he has taken Sesame Street and Barney the Dinosaur shows on international tours, and expanded his production management experience in the UK. He has now been production manager for 12 pantomimes in 3 different venues in Peterborough, Northampton and Scotland. He has worked on a theatre tour of Spike Milligan’s Puckoon for Northern Irish company Big Telly and has toured with Theatre Royal Bath’s production of Driving Miss Daisy. He works regularly for Creation Theatre on their site-specific shows in Oxford, London and now online. In addition to this he works in a number of local schools supporting young technicians and actors in their productions. His website is www. gilesstoakley.com or you can follow him at @GilesStoakley
As the new kids on the block, Creation’s CEO Helen took the chance to pick the brains of OVO’s Artistic Director Adam Nichols: How did you first come to be involved in making theatre at such an extraordinary site?
One of our regular actors has a personal connection to a member of the Grimston family, who have been living in the Gorhambury Estate, within which the Roman Theatre is situated, since the 16th century. There had been the occasional performance there since the 1930s, when the site was excavated, but we are really the first company to have brought the theatre back to full operation since 300 AD!
What’s been the highlight of being OVO’s Artistic Director?
There have been so many! Opening our very first show back in 2003 still sticks in the mind. Getting our first pop up venue in St Albans, a recently closed but much loved bookshop in the city which we took over briefly in 2009, and then our move to The Maltings Theatre in 2011
when that venue was at risk of permanent closure. Our debut at the Minack Theatre in 2016 was absolutely amazing, as has been every subsequent visit to that magical location. And there have been so many incredible memories at the Roman Theatre – perhaps most powerful being the return of audiences after Covid in 2020, and the unique atmosphere of bringing people back together that summer, which I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Aside from all of those highlights, what I’ve enjoyed the most has been building a strong collaborative ethos with an inspiring group of people, and seeing actors and creatives grow and develop over multiple shows with us – in some cases the whole 20 years we’ve been going!
What is the difference between directing a play for an indoor or outdoor setting?
I love working outdoors because there is nowhere to hide. The word theatre originates from the Greek theatron, meaning the ‘seeing place’. The simple fact of being able to see outside the space breaks the barrier between the audience and the performers – it becomes a collective, collaborative, democratic experience. This ‘seeing’
encourages a complicity between the players and the audience that I rarely see in an indoor performance. In practical terms, the main differences obviously involve the technical and atmospheric challenges – no lighting, rain, (and –increasingly in these times of climate change – extreme heat) – as well as needing to make performances big and engaging in performative terms.
How do you think organisations can work together most effectively, particularly in the post-pandemic landscape?
The theatre industry talks a lot about collaboration but in practice there is a lot less joining up than there could be. I think creativity can often be quite an individualistic process, and I also find that the way the arts economy is structured often creates perverse incentives for people to compete instead of collaborate. Having worked for many years in other industries away from theatre, I definitely see the potential for much greater sharing of resources and expertise. I’m delighted that we are embarking on what will hopefully be a long term partnership between OVO and Creation – OVO is also co-producing with Pitlochry
Festival Theatre for the first time this summer. I personally find this exchange of ideas and approaches enriching and stimulating, and there’s no doubt that in these fairly straitened times for theatre, we need to work together to continue to be able to afford to offer accessible high quality live performance.
How would you describe a night out at the Roman amphitheatre for someone who has never been?
It’s a magical location where you can really feel the echoes of historical performances from centuries gone by. It’s also a stunning beautiful site, with amazing views and sunsets (even when it’s raining!). The arena is a thrust configuration, meaning that the audience is seated on three sides of the stage, so although it’s a large space it’s also very intimate and there’s a great connection between performers and those watching. And we have a great bar with show themed cocktails!
Creation Theatre has been producing exciting adaptations of classic texts in unusual locations for 27 years. Here’s just a few of the places we’ve been:
As You Like It
NEVER HEARD OF
