Trinity Repertory Company and Rhode Island Latino Arts will present Much Ado About Nothing (Tanta Bulla… ¿Y Pa’ Qué?) at Miantonomi Park, 120 Hillside Avenue, Newport, on July 8, 2019 at 7 p.m. The rain date is July 15. 

“The production is a 90 minute Spanish/English adaptation of William Shakespeare’s comedy of manners,” according to a press release announcing the event.

The performance is free and open to the public of all ages. No reservation is required. Bring a chair or a blanket. Parking can be found nearby in the Pell Elementary School parking lot on Dexter Street.

Opening for the play at 5:30 p.m. will be Lydia Perez and Yoruba 2, a Puerto Rican ensemble featuring traditional drumming, song and dance. This musical performance is presented by Common Fence Music’s Connecting the Beats program.

Come early and enjoy the Miantonomi Farmers Market which will be open between 2 and 6 p.m.

Teatro en El Verano (Theater in the Summer) is approaching its 4th summer of performances. The tour has traditionally featured locations throughout Providence and Central Falls and has added locations in Newport, Pawtucket, and Woonsocket this year.

In One of Shakespeare’s most well-known comedies, Beatrice and Benedick have sworn off love and each other. Their friends and family intervene to transform these steadfast singles into a happy couple. Will these tricks finally put an end to their “merry war?” For the first time in the program’s history, the cast is comprised entirely of Latinx actors.

Director Tatyana-Mari Carlo is about to enter her final year in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA program for directing. She commented, “What captivated me about Much Ado About Nothing was the heart of the play. Soulmates who are destined to be together navigate trickery and deception, in order to discover a love that had always been hidden in plain sight. In this production we celebrate the beauty of love, reconciliation, and the joyful expression of Latinidad. We will salsa, merengue, and bachata our way through Tanta Bulla… ¿Y Pa’ Qué? in the liveliest way we know how.”

Trinity Rep Associate Artistic Director Tyler Dobrowsky says of the partnership between Trinity and RILA, “Great art should belong to everyone, regardless of age, race, class or language — it’s a public good, like water or electricity. Partnering with Rhode Island Latino Arts and their executive director, Marta V. Martinez, to bring free, bilingual Shakespeare to communities around Rhode Island is a complete thrill, and is part of Trinity Rep’s broader cultural and civic responsibility to the state. RILA is one of Trinity Rep’s most essential community partners, and we are lucky to work with them.”

Executive Director of Rhode Island Latino Arts, Marta V. Martínez agrees about the partnership between RILA and Trinity Rep, and also sees a need for a broader vision of representation throughout all communities. She says, “The ongoing partnership between Rhode Island Latino Arts and Trinity Rep is an essential step in raising the level of community engagement among Latinos with live theater, in their own language. Comprehensive representation of Rhode Island’s diverse communities on Trinity’s stage and building bridges and ensuring Latinos are always at the table, and not serving it, is one of RILA’s main goals.”

Teatro en el Verano is made possible by The Susan F. Gonsalves Charitable Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. Common Fence Music’s Connecting the Beats: Bringing African-Inspired Drumming and Dance to the Youth of Newport County is made possible by the Rhode Island Foundation Newport County Fund.

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