Scenes from our LIVE “Much Ado About Nothing” Online Reading with Dakin Matthews

Today you’ll hear some excerpted scenes from our recent LIVESTREAM reading of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing (more info here).

It’s an all-star cast of past guests from the podcast, including Dakin Matthews, Robert Pine, Geoffrey Wade, Anne Gee Byrd, Alan Mandell and many more! This whole thing came together within about two weeks after we received the shelter-in-place directives in California, and yet they all deliver amazing performances! I knew it would be a great show, and even with no director and no rehearsal, these actors exceeded my expectations!

And if you enjoy this, we’re doing another LIVE reading you can WATCH on May 14th at 3 pm PT – our next show is Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (show info here) with past guests Harry Groener, Dawn Didawick, Peter Van Norden and lots more!

Now for this Much Ado episode, you’ll hear our introduction to the play, including a wonderful section from our dramaturg Gideon Rappaport, and then a couple scenes from each act, and our intermission with Shakespeare trivia!

Listen to the reading of “Much Ado About Nothing”:

Total Running Time: 1:32:58

• Stream by clicking here.
• Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as/save link as”.

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Sections Included:

• Introduction
• Act 1, Scenes 1 and 2
• Act 3, Scenes 1 and 2
• Intermission (with trivia!)
• Act 4, Scene 1
• Act 5, Scenes 2, 3, and 4
• End Discussion

Much Ado About Nothing Cast:

• LEONATO (governor of Messina): Dakin Matthews
• ANTONIO (Leonato’s brother): Alan Mandell
• BEATRICE (Leonato’s orphaned niece): Gigi Bermingham
• HERO (Leonato’s daughter)/SEXTON (town clerk): Aubrey Saverino
• DON PEDRO (Prince of Aragon): Peter Van Norden
• BENEDICK (a soldier): Geoffrey Wade
• CLAUDIO (a young Count): Ross Hellwig
• DON JOHN (illegitimate brother of Don Pedro): Tony Amendola
• BORACHIO (Don John’s follower): Ray Porter
• FRIAR FRANCIS/BALTHASAR (attendant of Don Pedro): Armin Shimerman
• MARGARET (Hero’s waiting woman)/CONRADE (Don John’s follower): Jeanne Sakata
• DOGBERRY (the Constable): Robert Pine
• URSULA (Hero’s waiting woman)/VERGES (Dogberry’s partner): Anne Gee Byrd
• MESSENGER/1ST WATCH/SWING – Rob Crisell
• 2ND WATCH/SWING – Susan Benninghoff

Produced and led by Nathan Agin, host of The Working Actor’s Journey podcast

Thank you to everyone involved and to YOU for watching!