The Nicholls Players will present Much Ado About Nothing, beginning next week from Oct. 9 to Oct. 12, which is newly directed this year by a student.

Cheyenne Miller, president of Nicholls Players, will be directing the play, which is the first time a student will be in charge of a production.

Anna Broussard, speech instructor, said there was finally an interest to have a student director this year, and she thinks it is great experience. There will also be an assistant student director and student stage manager to help direct the play.

“It’s interesting to take directions from a student who is younger than you,” said Broussard, who, along with Richmond Eustis, assistant professor of English and Spanish, will be taking on the lead roles in the show.

Broussard said she wants to do more shows a semester, which is why she is allowing a student to direct. She explained that if a student would direct one play and she directs another, there would be time to have more than one show a semester. She wants this to become a precedent because it would also give more students an opportunity for the directing part of a play, instead of only performing.

“I am very honored to be given the opportunity to direct a huge show, such as Much Ado About Nothing, and I am definitely enjoying it,” said Miller.

Last year, the Nicholls Players performed The Crucible to do something different. Broussard said they wanted to put on a funny show, which is why they decided on Much Ado About Nothing.

Miller said, “We have been doing a lot of tragedies, Shakespearean-wise, and this play is a comedy and very lighthearted with romance. It is also very uplifting.”

Also, since the theater will undergo renovations in January 2015, Broussard wanted a big grand scale show, which she knows Much Ado About Nothing will be.
Because Shakespeare is public domain, Nicholls does not have to pay to perform it, which is another reason why it was chosen. The cast also loves Shakespeare and thinks it should be something more people have in their lives.

Broussard said she does not think theater is dead because people still like to act and it is enjoyable and even beneficial. She thinks production encourages many to take on leadership skills and presentation, which are great lessons the Nicholls Players are learning.

This year, the play makes up about 20 actors, consisting of mostly students, a few community members and two faculty members. Broussard said she is excited to present the hard work the players have done behind the scenes, and this will show what the students of the university are capable of.

Much Ado About Nothing is a Romantic Comedy accompanied by mistaken identities with a character that plays matchmaker and the temptation of two people to fall in love. The play will start at 7 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, costing $5 for students and $10 for the public.

Miller said, “I think the play is going to turn out really great. The actors have been working really hard and I think we’ve pulled it together really well.”