As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Much Ado about Nothing, think about:

• How the soldiers change the atmosphere when they arrive. What has the war been like for them? Are they exhausted, celebrating, injured? What comforts does Leonato’s house provide? Is it luxurious? Has it been decorated to celebrate their return?
• Whether some productions are very different or if there are lots of similarities. In the 2015 production, director Christopher Luscombe set the play in the aftermath of World War 1 and worked with the design team to create a set for Leonato’s house that was based on Charlecote Park, a National Trust stately home near Stratford-upon-Avon. What effect do you think this has? What does it tell us about Leonato and his family? What impression does his home give of Leonato and what roles do Hero and Beatrice play in it? Does this seem different in the 2012 production, set in India, or the 2006 production set in Havana?
• What kind of place Messina is. In the 2002 production, directed by Gregory Doran, Messina is a hot, summery, Italian city. Similarly in the 2006 production, Leonato’s household is situated in a warm climate, in Cuba. Does this have an impact on the action or make characters’ choices more understandable? How does it change the feeling of the play when it is set, as in the images from the 2014 production, on a cold English estate at Christmas time?

Where would you choose to set a production of Much Ado about Nothing and what choices would you make to help show the dynamics of Leonato’s household and the impact of the soldiers’ arrival?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Much Ado about Nothing, think about:

• What type of masks could be used in this scene. There are many types of traditional masks that say something about the character of the person wearing them. How could this be useful in a production of Much Ado? Look at the extravagant masks used in the 2006 production, which has a more modern setting and depicts the scene as more of a fancy dress party, and the use of scarves in the 2012 production which doesn’t use masks at all but allows characters to hide their faces in other ways. What do you think these various disguises show about the characters?
• Whether some productions are very different or if there are lots of similarities. In the 2015 production, director Christopher Luscombe worked with the design team to choose masks and uniforms for the men that made them look very similar and regimented. What effect do you think this has? The soldiers are also the characters who wear the largest masks in the 2006 production. How does this make you respond to them and how do they feel about the party?
• What different types of music and dancing could be used in this scene? How could these choices affect the mood of the play? In period dances, people were often partnered together and would change partners during the dancing. What would this do to the comedy or drama of the scene? How does this change in the more modern settings like the 2002, 2006 and 2012 productions?

How would you stage this important moment of confusion and comedy and what choices would you make to help create this moment?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Much Ado about Nothing, think about:

• Hero and Beatrice’s appearance. Do their costumes reflect their different characters? What qualities do Hero and Beatrice have that could be shown in how they look? In the 2014 production actor Michelle Terry wore trousers, a style choice that would have been very surprising for a woman in the period, to show her independence and strength of will. What do the choices in the 2014 production say about Hero in comparison? How have other productions shown these qualities in Beatrice?
• How Hero is portrayed. Hero has very few lines in the play and we learn a lot about her character through her reactions and her attitude. How do you think she is presented? How is her youth shown? In the 2006 production, for example, Hero is dressed in very child-like clothing with a young hairstyle and even seen in pyjamas in some scenes. What effect does this have?
• How their connection and relationship comes across. What do you think the relationship is between them in each production? Is it always similar? How has the dependence they have on each other been shown?

How would you stage this relationship to make the characters’ connection clear to the audience?

As you look through the images and photographs from past productions of Much Ado about Nothing, think about:

• The design of Leonato’s Monument to Hero. What structure is it and how big is it? What might this say about the family or Leonato? How could its appearance affect Don Pedro and Claudio, who are the ones that believe Hero to be dead?
• The appearance of Don Pedro and Claudio. Does their change of costume show how their feelings have changed? How many other people are in this scene and what impact does that have? Shakespeare mentions Lords and Attendants in his stage directions; which productions have included these characters and what impact do they have?
• Whether some productions are very different or if there are lots of similarities. In the 1996 production, for example, you can see Hero in the tomb. How does this change the scene for the audience, as well as for Claudio and Don Pedro? What do you notice about the other productions, where you cannot see Hero? Why do you think Leonato involves so much ceremony rather than just having a quiet service? Does the staging in these versions help him to achieve what he wants? What is it that he wants from Claudio and why does he go to these lengths to make everyone mourn for Hero?

How would you stage this moment to have the most impact on the audience and on Claudio? What choices could you make that would show what Leonato wants to happen in these moments?