On Thursday, Oct. 7, Shakespeare enthusiasts and novices alike can attend a reading of “Much Ado About Nothing” by the Alabama Shakespeare Project, a performance-based research collective exploring early modern entertainment. 

Elizabeth Tavares, the show’s artistic director and an assistant professor of English, said the Alabama Shakespeare Project focuses on “discoveries in Shakespeare’s works in regards to how they are acted out and portrayed.” 

The project researches the ways that Shakespeare could have prepared his actors and actresses before a performance. 

“This will be the first test of the hypothesis that Shakespeare’s methods of acting are not what we thought they were based on recent historical findings,” Tavares said.

The collective plans to stage more performances to test various methods of performing Shakespeare’s pieces. The first performance will be a cold reading using cue scripts, which only hold individual actors’ lines and the preceding cue words.

“Much Ado About Nothing,” is a comical play by Shakespeare about love, marriage, “nothing” and secrets.

Tavares is excited for the “first of many” performances and the opportunity to share the collective’s findings. The Alabama Shakespeare Project asks guests to bring their “fanciest masks” to take part in the excitement. 

During the event, the audience will participate in research through a QR code. They encourage the audience to tweet using the #RollethTide hashtag. 

The collective also encourages students and faculty of different cultures, backgrounds and majors to participate in the next call for auditions in November.