Much Ado About Nothing

by William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles Pasternak

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s wittiest and most beloved comedies. Of all the couples in Shakespeare, perhaps none is more widely loved than Beatrice and Benedick. Their battle of wits, their antagonism turned to eroticism, their history. Before the play begins, they already seem to define each other. The audience, like the other characters in the play, wait with excitement as their wits clash, and eventually, as their love blossoms.

Tickets will go on sale to members on April 1, and to the general public on May 1.

PERFORMANCES:

• Saturday, July 11, 2026 at 2:00 PM – preview
• Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 8:00 PM – preview
• Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 8:00 PM – opening
• Saturday, July 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, July 19, 2026 at 2:00 PM
• Friday, July 24, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, July 25, 2026 at 2:00 PM
• Wednesday, July 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM – family day
• Friday, July 31, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 2:00 PM
• Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 12:00 PM – family day
• Wednesday, August 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM – pre-show dramaturgy
• Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM – all-ages-matinee
• Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 7:00 PM – pre-show backstage tour (ticket required)
• Sunday, August 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM
• Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM – wine club
• Friday, August 21, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Saturday, August 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM – post-show talk-back
• Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 7:00 PM
• Saturday, August 29, 2026 at 8:00 PM
• Sunday, August 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM – closing

RUN TIME:

• 2 and 1/2 hours with one 20-minute intermission

TICKETS: 

• TBA
• Call the SCS box office at 831-460-6399, open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m

VENUE: 

• Santa Cruz Shakespeare main stage
  Audrey Stanley Grove in DeLaveaga Park
  501 Upper Park Road, Santa Cruz, CA