Much Ado About Nothing (Summer Theatre Institute)
Friday, August 2nd at 7 pm
William Shakespeare, in a modern verse translation by Ranji Bolt
Directed by Latasha Snider
527 Tremont St. Boston, MA 02115
This event has passed
This event is free and open to the public!
Play On Shakespeare
Director’s Note
Dear Friends,
As I sit and write this director’s note, I am overwhelmed with extreme gratitude. This is the same program that helped me find my purpose ten years ago and is continuing to bring great meaning to my life. I started as a student actor for the Summer Theatre Institute, then came back to be an alumni production assistant while I was in college. In 2021, I joined The Huntington’s education department full-time as their Education Programs Associate and was welcomed back to the Summer Theatre Institute as the stage manager. Now here we are, my first-time directing student actors in the program that launched my own theatre career.
Welcome to the 18th Annual Summer Theatre Institute production of Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, in a modern verse translation by Ranjit Bolt (Play On Shakespeare). It has been a true pleasure and an honor to work with these incredibly talented students this summer. Watching them create a safe community in which they could learn and take risks individually and collectively, diving into the text and developing their characters with grace and humor was beautiful. Special thanks to the cast, stage crew, our stage manager, Oliver, assistant stage manager, Analyse, and producer, Meg O’Brien.
I was first drawn to this show by watching Kenny Leon’s 2019 version of it at Shakespeare in the Park on PBS. Much Ado About Nothing is a play about love, relationships, and the power of deception. The play explores the power and influence of those around us. Set in the early 90s in Harlem, New York, our play captures the essence of love and mischief intertwined with the music of New Jack Swing. These young artists breathe new life into Shakespeare’s words weaving together the beats of the past and the heartbeats of the present. We hope you enjoy the magic!
Sincerely,
Latasha Snider
Director, Much Ado About Nothing
Education Programs Associate
The Huntington
Cast & Crew
Isha Ali
Antonio and First Watchmen
Isha Ali
Isha Ali (she/her) playing Antonio and First Watchman, is 16 years old and a rising junior at Codman Academy. “What I enjoy most about acting is becoming and understanding the character I was given and making them my own.”
Junielia Bailey
Messenger, Conrade and Ursula
Junielia Bailey
Junielia Bailey (she/her) playing Conrade and Messenger, is 16 years old and a rising junior at Codman Academy. “What I enjoy most about acting is that I get to express myself in different ways. I also love that I get to tell a story using my body.”
Armani Barrantes
Don John and Dogberry
Armani Barrantes
Armani Barrantes (he/him) playing Don John and Dogberry is 18 years old and is a 2024 graduate of Boston Arts Academy. He will be attending the Boston Conservatory at Berklee in the fall as a contemporary theater major. He is an actor, writer, and director. He has been interested in acting since the 5th grade. He has also participated in the Boston Regional Programs of both True Colors Next Narrative Monologue Competition and August Wilson New Voices Competition with The Huntington. As part of his senior project at the Boston Arts Academy, Armani wrote and directed his own original play called Vindications. “I love acting because I enjoy the opportunity to portray a narrative that might be seen as out of the ordinary in society.”
Mason Braxter
Claudio
Mason Braxter
Mason Braxter (he/him) playing Claudio is 15 years old and a rising sophomore at Codman Academy. “What I enjoy most about acting is getting on the stage with confidence and decreasing my stress from looking at big crowds.”
Lala Cooks-Beeks
Beatrice
Lala Cooks-Beeks
Lala Cooks-Beeks (she/her) playing Beatrice is 18 years old and a 2024 graduate of Boston Arts Academy. She plans to attend college for her BFA in acting and continue her technical theatre training. She was the 2024 Boston Regional Champion for the August Wilson New Voices Monologue Competition and the 2022 Boston Regional 2nd Place winner for True Colors Next Narrative Monologue Competition. “The best part of acting for me is discovering things about myself and the world. Acting is like a second chance in life.”
Emily Guerrero
Margaret, Sexton and Verges
Emily Guerrero
Emily Guerrero (she/her) playing Margaret and Sexton, is 18 years old and a 2024 graduate of Boston Arts Academy. She will be attending Emerson College in the fall. Some recent production credits include “The Crucible” in her junior year as Judge Danforth, Heather in a student play, “Vindications” written by castmate Armani Barrantes. Emily is also the 2024 2nd Place Winner for Boston’s Regional Next Narrative Monologue Competition and represented Boston on the Apollo Stage in May. “I am extremely excited to be in my first Shakespeare show with The Huntington, ending my three-year relationship with the company as a student with a bang!”
Kira Johnson
Second Watchmen and Friar Francis
Kira Johnson
Kira Johnson (she/her) playing Friar Frances and Second Watchman is 16 years old and a rising junior at Codman Academy. “What I enjoy most about acting is the fun and excitement of performing.”
Yarlenis Mejia
Hero
Yarlenis Mejia
Yarlenis Mejia (she/her) playing Hero is 15 years old and a rising sophomore at Boston Arts Academy. She has been a part of two productions at school so far and is looking forward to being a part of more. “What I enjoy most about acting is having the ability to portray and express emotions using my voice and body to be able to tell a story. I also enjoy being able to connect with the audience on a deeper emotional level.”
DJ Pepin Cepeda
Benedick
DJ Pepin Cepeda
DJ Pepin Cepeda (he/him) playing Benedick is 18 years old and a 2024 graduate of Melvin H. King South End Academy. He will be attending Roxbury Community College in the fall. DJ is also the 2024 2nd Place Winner for Boston’s Regional August Wilson New Voices Monologue Champion and represented Boston in Pittsburgh at Nationals in May. “What I enjoy most about acting is the way I can shape and represent the characters.”
Adrian Sanchez
Don Pedro
Adrian Sanchez
Adrian Sanchez (he/him) playing Don Pedro is 15 years old and a rising sophomore at Boston Arts Academy. “What I enjoy most about acting is the process of bringing a character to life and portraying them.”
Zay Simms
Leonato and Attendant
Zay Simms
Zay Simms (he/him) playing Leonato and Attendant is 18 years old and a rising senior at Codman Academy. “What I enjoy most about acting is that I can be silly and enjoy my character’s part.”
Theo Vainstein
Borachio
Theo Vainstein
Theo Vainstein (he/him) playing Borachio is 16 years old and is a rising senior at Boston Arts Academy. “One thing I love the most about acting is the ability to escape. When I get to play other characters, it lets me create a world and let go of what’s happening in the real world, which is scary and can sometimes block you as an artist. So I escape by acting.”
Latasha Snider
Director
Latasha Snider
Latasha Snider (she/her/hers) Education Programs Associate, is an actor, poet, writer, Codman Academy Alum’14 and now educator. Latasha received a BA from Assumption College in 2018. As an actor, Latasha has showcased her talent many times on our stage since 2012. Her iconic roles include Puck (Midsummer Nights Dream), Jaques (As you like it) and Marc Antony (Julius Caesar). Latasha was also a part of the Codman Poetry Slam Team who were the 2013 Massachusetts Louder Than a Bomb champions. This will be her first season with The Huntington. Latasha plans to pull from her experience as a Codman student and her passion for the arts to help bridge education and theater. In Latasha’s free time she enjoys go kart racing, spending time with family and going to arcades!
Oliver Rizzo
Stage Manager
Oliver Rizzo
Oliver Rizzo (he/him) returns to The Education Department having recently been our Stage Manager for this summer’s production of Two Gentlemen Verona. Oliver Rizzo is a trans theatre artist & activist based in Boston and a graduate of Emerson College with a BFA in Theatre Education & Performance. With a Theatre Education Area Department Award upon graduation a year ago, he works as a freelance actor, teaching artist, stage manager, and stage electrician. He is currently working with The Huntington and The Park School as a theatre educator, working with students in grades 6-12.
Ana Duffy
Assistant Stage Manager
Ana Duffy
Ana Duffy (she/they) is the Assistant Stage Manager, is 15 years old and a rising sophomore at Codman Academy. Ana is Codman’s 2024 Poetry Out Loud School Champion. “I enjoy working with everyone in the cast and creating new safe spaces to enjoy theatre.”
Meg O'Brien
Producer
Meg O'Brien
Meg O’Brien (she/her/hers) is in her 15th season at The Huntington where she has been the Director of Education since 2017. Meg has worked professionally as an access coordinator, actor, dancer, singer, director, producer, finance director, arts administrator, and stage manager; however, her passion lives with theatre education. For 19 years Meg has made her living teaching students of all ages about the world of the theater.