Much Ado About Nothing
University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida
by William Shakespeare

directed by Carlos D. Garcia
costume design Andrea Carlson
scenic, lighting, and sound design by Ryan Finzelber

photography by Candace Kaw
Employed by the University of South Florida as a guest artist, I was able to work closely with a senior director and costume designer to develop a unique concept for our piece. Starting from adapting the script to fit a 90 minute time slot, we crafted the visual and performance concept of a sitcom from the golden era of television. Shakespeare's themes of love, relationship, mistaken identify, coupled with moments of sexism and farce made a near perfect transition to the realm of 1950s television. Taking this idea further, we created a film-studio environment. The moment audience walked into the studio, they witnessed paint splashes on the floor, lighting equipment and cables scattered in the audience, and pop-art references on the set. Designing all departmnets but costuming allowed me to delve into creating a completely encapsulating environment, completed by a soundscape ripe with tropes from the era. The result was effective - as an audience member, I was able to become part of this world, allowing myself more opportunity to invest in the story and the nuances we were able to perfect in blending performance with design.
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