Much Ado for NASDA

CPIT’s National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Arts (NASDA) students are swelling the ranks for one of Shakespeare’s most-loved romantic comedies at the Court Theatre this month.

The students will share the stage with Lisa Chappell (McLeod’s Daughters, The Cult) and Roy Snow (Go Girls, Shortland Street) who play Beatrice and Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, which opens on 19 May. This is the largest production staged so far at the new Court Theatre in Addington and has a cast of 21.

Director Ross Gumbley is by all accounts very happy with the students’ performance and NASDA director Ross McKellar is also performing in the play and keeping an eye on his young thespians.

Sparks should fly onstage as Beatrice and Benedick engage in a war of words, scorning love, marriage and each other, while Hero and Claudio are supposed to be married in a week, but are so in love they can barely say anything at all.

For many NASDA students, Much Ado About Nothing will be their first experience of working in professional theatre and what better way to start than with the Bard.  

Much Ado About Nothing runs 19 May 2012 - 9 June 2012. Tickets are available from www.courttheatre.co.nz and for more information about NASDA visit http://www.cpit.ac.nz/explore-cpit/our-schools/school-of-performing-arts/music-theatre or phone 1800 24 24 76.