Utah Shakespeare Festival is performing Much Ado About Nothing, and we’re using it as an excuse to talk about Shakespeare’s women. Scholar Kate McPherson says few Elizabethan playwrights created female characters as rich as the Bard, and that Much Ado is his most sophisticated play about women. It features Beatrice, a feisty and fearless lady who has forsworn love. McPherson, actor Kim Martin-Cotten, and director David Ivers join us to talk about Beatrice and the challenges and opportunities afforded women in Shakespeare’s world.
Utah Shakespeare Festival's production of Much Ado About Nothing continues through September 8. It's being performed at the new Engelstad Shakespeare Theatre in Cedar City. For a schedule of performances and ticket information, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX (752-9849)
We invite you to be part of the audience for this live conversation. Join us on the Eccles Grand Promenade at the Engelstad Theatre in Cedar City. Live show begins at 11:00 a.m. Please arrive and be seated by 10:50 a.m., the broadcast will conclude at 12:00 p.m.
Guests:
- David Ivers is co-artistic director of Utah Shakespeare Festival and director of Much Ado About Nothing
- Kim Martin-Cotten plays Beatrice in the Festival's production of Much Ado About Nothing.
- Kate McPherson teaches English Renaissance literature at Utah Valley University, where she directs the Honors Program.