CAST & CREATIVES

Jefferson Bond

CLAUDIO & WATCH

Linda Elvira

BEATRICE

Søren Højen

DON JOHN & VERGES

Alexandra Jespersen

HERO & WATCH

Kevin Kiernan Molloy

BENEDICK

Ian Burns

LEONATO & SEXTON

Rasmus Emil Mortensen

DON PEDRO & BORACHIO

Thea Bell Schok

MARGARET & WATCH

Benjamin Stender

DOGBERRY, CONRADE &
FRIAR FRANCIS

Thomas Magnussen

Director

Lars Mikkelsen

Artistic consultant

Marie ì Dali

Set and custome designer

Tine Vitkov

Composer

Angelique Giroir

STAGE MANAGER

The Show

In the Sicilian town of Messina, the men are returning from the war, where they are to spend a month at Leonato’s country house. Prepare for a hilarious tale of witty banter, mistaken identities, and a whole lot of ado!

Beatrice and Benedick both both swear that they will never succumb to the madness of love. Meanwhile, Hero and Claudio are madly in love and eagerly preparing for their upcoming wedding. However, the mischievous villain Don John has other plans.

With mistaken identities, secret trysts, and a host of colorful characters, the stage is set for a series of comedic misunderstandings. “Much Ado About Nothing” is a delightful romp through the complexities of love and the triumph of true connection. With its sparkling wit, endearing characters, and Shakespeare’s timeless genius, it reminds us that sometimes, the greatest fuss we make is simply for the joy of laughter and the power of love.

PRACTICAL INFO

15 August - 2 September 2023 at The Botanical Garden

Under the open skies of the stunningly beautiful Botanical Garden, the audience will experience a contemporary interpretation of William Shakespeare’s classical masterpiece.
Before the show you can enjoy a picnic in the wonderful surroundings of the Botanical Garden.

Bring your own blankets and whatever else the Danish summer weather may require.

The gates will open at 18:00. The performance starts at 19:00

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PRESS PHOTOS

  • © After Hours Theatre Company - 2023

CREDITS & THANKS

This performance would not have been possible without the aid and assistance of some truly amazing people and organisations.
We wish to extend our most sincere thanks to:

Tine Vitkov

Tine Vitkov has previously composed the music for “A Midsummernights Dream” which played in the Botanical Garden in 2019 and 2022, and works as a theater-musician, arranger and composer on a regular basis. Her music for Much ado about Nothing, is dreamy, poetic and playful with a touch of humor. This music is played, recorded and mixed in collaboration with the wonderful guitarplayer and engineer Martine Madsen.   

Tine Vitkov is educated clarinetplayer from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and has a Master in filmscoring from the Danish National Academy of Music. Besides music for theater, she has specialized in classical music from the the Middleeast and the latinamerican cumbia. If you feel like dancing while in town, check out her latinamerican project Cumbian Colors.  

Marie ì Dali

Marie í Dali’s designs spans many genres from feature film produciton/costume-design, alive performance to classical ballet designs. Marie studied theatre science at Copenhagen

University before moving to London. She graduated in theatredesign from Wimbledon

College of Arts in 1993 with a first in both set and costume design.

She has worked at the bigger European operahouses, smaller fringe theatre in Denmark, been teaching, done talks and on the side studied existential Psykoterapy.

Major works include Wagner’s Ring cycle at the Royal Danish opera 2006 and at Den Ny opera, Esbjerg 2017 -> , Sten Corners “Nutcracker” 2003 and Louise’s Alenius “Manualen” 2022.

Marie’s recieved several Reumert nominations and awards during her carrier.

Www.MarieiDali.com

BENJAMIN STENDER

Benjamin Stender graduated from The European Academy of Dramatic Arts in Italy in 2012.
He started off with his first professional job taking on the role of Christian de Neuvillette, in one of Italy’s biggest productions of Cyrano de Bergerac, that toured the country for 2 years. Soon after, he inlisted in Cucchini Acency in Rome, that led to numerous roles for Italian tv productions and international films and series.
While working in front of the camera, he also kept himself busy on the stage, travelling between Rome and Copenhagen.
In 2014 he was awarded the Reumert for up-coming talent, for his potrayal of the young Arthur Kipps in ”The Woman in Black”.
The latest of his works include the American produced film ”Gore” staring Kevin Spacey, and the international series ”The Name of The Rose”, based on Umberto Eco’s bestseller from 1980. Both projects are to be released in 2019.

ANGELIQUE GIROIR

Angelique is a self-taught stage manager going on 5 years of steady work. Starting out with the Copenhagen Theatre Circle, her credits include Beyond Therapy, Pygmalion, The Actor’s Nightmare, Cabaret, and various Fringe Festivals and Pantomimes. Leading her to work with professional companies such as House of International Theatre, Down the Rabbit Hole Theatre and most recently After Hours Theatre Company. Favourite professional credits include Elsie and Norm’s Macbeth, Venus in Fur, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, The Lover, Party Time and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also had the privilege of interning at the Copenhagen Opera House with their performance of Macbeth in the summer of 2017.

LARS MIKKELSEN

At the age of 27 and after having been five years on the road as a juggler, Lars decided to become a real actor. So he applied at the Statens Teaterskole (National Theatre School of Denmark) in Copenhagen, where he was accepted and where from 1991-1995 he carried through his acting training. Shortly afterwards he had his debut as an actor in the play “Dracula” at the Aalborg Theatre. Since his graduation from the theatre school, Lars has appeared in more than 40 plays up to now (2012) and he has always wanted to keep on acting onstage. Again and again he was to be seen in movies and TV series. With his role in the successful Danish crime series Forbrydelsen (2007) (The Killing), playing the mayoral candidate “Troels Hartmann”, he received even more awareness. This led to roles in international productions, such as the villain in an episode of the British series Sherlock(2010), the Russian president Viktor Petrov in the third season of House of Cards (2013) and a leading role in the international crime series Mord Uden Grænser (2015). For some of his performances in movies, films or plays he has received various nominations and awards so far.

THOMAS MAGNUSSEN

Thomas trained as an actor at the internationally renowned drama school the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His first job upon graduation, was a small part in the HBO hit series Band of Brothers. Since then he has appeared in numerous films, TV- series and stage productions primarily in Denmark, but also abroad. In the summer 2017 Thomas was the first ever Danish actor to play a leading role at the The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon.
In 2008 Thomas won Aarets Reumert (The Danish equivalent of The Tony or The Olivier Award) with long time friend and colleague Lars Mikkelsen, for their Shakespeare show Muse of Fire.
In 2010 they were once again nominated for the award, with their production of Shakespeare’s Twelth Night.
Recent credits include parts in the Danish drama series The Legacy II, The Bridge III and the new Nordic Noir series Follow the Money.
Thomas also plays second male lead in the independent feature Secluded, which premiered in 2016 and came in second in the “best feature” category at Cinequest 2017.
Thomas had his debut as director in the short Opposite a Track, produced by 2 time Academy Award winner M&M Productions; a film in which he also played the lead.

Kevin-Kiernan-Molloy1

KEVIN KIERNAN MOLLOY

Kevin is an Australian Actor.  He graduated from the VCA (Victorian Collage of the Arts) in 2010 and since has been working professionally in Theatre, Film and TV. He has lived in Denmark for the past 2 years. 

His theatre credits include, ‘Mairead’, That Theatre Company, ‘The Art of Falling’, That Theatre Company, ‘No Exit: Reloaded’, HIT, ‘Dracula’, Little Ones Theatre, ‘Quick Death/ Slow Love’, LaMama, ‘Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, CWTC, ‘Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise’ MKA/ MTC, ‘The Mesh’ Red Stitch, ’The Myth Project:Twin’ Arthur/ MTC, ‘Psycho Beach Party’ Little Ones Theatre, ‘The Plague Dances’, Malthouse/FourLarks, ‘Man Equals Man’ QTC, ‘Cut Snake’ Arthur, ‘Dracula’ ZZZ, ‘Sub-Con Warrior One’ ZZZ. Kevins TV appearances include, Neighbors, Wentworth, Winners and Losers, Home and Away, Underbelly:Squizzy and The Strange Calls. His film credits include, ‘What if it works?’ Street Smart Films (feature)‘Holding the Man’ Goalpost Pictures (feature), ‘Pinball’ Holscope Films (short), ‘Amon’ Doroshenko films (short), ‘Firebird’ Nguyen Films (short). Prior to moving to Melbourne to attend VCA Kevin trained extensively and completed an internship with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre.  Kevin was a recipient of the Richard Pratt Bursary for outstanding acting in second year of training at VCA.

RASMUS EMIL MORTENSEN

Rasmus trained as an actor at the esteemed Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, we he worked with some of the world’s most renowned actors and directors. Since graduating Rasmus has appeared in numerous plays and acted in a variety of short-films. More recently he has been a part of a Danish feature film as well a TV series in Denmark. Rasmus has played Claudius in Hamlet at Kronborg Castle during the summer of 2018.

IAN BURNS

He has lived and worked in Denmark since 1990. Before Ian came to Denmark he worked in repertory theatres in Manchester, Harrogate, Sheffield, Coventry and Scotland. He also appeared in the original musical productions of Lennon and Blood Brothers in London’s West End. His TV credits include Coronation Street, Angels, and Liebe Mutter an award winning film for Channel 4 and ZDF. His Danish credits include Absalons Hemmelighed, Julekalender, Russian Pizza Blues, Blændet, Livvagterne, The Outsider by Charlotte Sachs Bostrup for TV2 and most recently a new TV series for Swedish Television called Max and his Amazing World.
Ian founded That Theatre Company in 1997 with Julian Simpson.

SØREN HØJEN

Søren Højen graduated from the Stella Adler Studio of Acting Conservatory in New York in 2010. After finishing school he spent a year in LA and then moved back to Denmark to educate himself further at the National Danish Drama School in Odense. Since graduating in 2017 he has worked mainly in theatre, most notably as Ross in Macbeth at Odense theatre and Hamlet in Kronborgs Hamlet Live.

LINDA ELVIRA

Linda trained as an actress at the Odense Theatre school of drama, from which she graduated in 1997.
Following her graduation she was part of several productions at the Odense Theatre where she, among several others, could be seen as Lise Munk in the play Reverend Munk. In 2003 she one of three women in the Jomfru Ane Theatre’s great succes Girls Night Out, which was directed by award winning director Kamilla Wargo Brekling.
She has also worked with the Copenhagen based English theatre company That Theatre Company, in Casanova Undone and Shakespeare’s Women.
Linda Elvira is the daugther of an English mother, which makes her bi-lingual and she has a fluent Standard English. A skill she frequently uses, not only on stage, but also in her work as a voiceover artist and cartoon dubber.
In 2009 she played a central role as the police agent Karen Bell in the Canadian independent feature film AURUM. Linda has also had roels in several of DR – the Danish Broadcasting Coorporation’s – award winning tv series such as Better Times, Unit One and The Bridge.

THEA BELL SCHOK

Thea Bell Schok started her career in musicals where she got her first professional role in “The jungle book ” in 2007. She then went on to play Petra in Fanny and Alexander at the Danish Royal Theatre 3 years in a row.
Her most recent role on stage was Ophelia in Hamlet live at Kronborg castle.

On screen she played Gaiah in the Emmy winning series “Ride upon the storm” and Lily in the Robert nominated series “Warrior”. The most recent role on screen was Liv in Ole Christian Madsens new film “Notat” with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

JEFFERSON BOND

 Jefferson Bond is an actor, writer and comedian from the UK. He graduated with a first class honours from East 15 Acting School in 2015 and since then has worked all across both Britain and Europe in theatre, film, voice and screen.

He has performed in several Shakespeare productions over the years including ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, the latter of which was in collaboration with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in the UK and for the past two summer seasons starred in an interactive performance of ‘Hamlet’ at Kronborg Castle. Most recently he has just finished a production of Edward Albee’s ‘The Goat or Who is Sylvia’ which toured in both Sweden and Denmark. Also as of 2016 he has become the youngest cast and collective member of “The Crazy Christmas Cabaret” at Tivoli, Copenhagen.

Jefferson is also an accomplished stand up comic, having performed alongside some of the biggest names in Danish comedy and has recently been chosen to perform his one man stand up show ‘My Life as a Rockstar Astronaut and Other Lies’ at Lund Comedy Festival 2019 in Sweden and will be touring Denmark for Zulu Comedy Festival 2019 which is one of the largest comedy festivals in Northern Europe.

Alongside his performing credits he has done voiceover work for some of the biggest companies in world which include recording for Mærsk Shipping, Copenhagen Malmö Port, TV2 and was the voice of the national Lego Harry Potter advert screened nationally across the UK.

ALEXANDRA JESPERSEN

Alex has been actively involved in theatre since the age of 6, when she joined the “Frederiksberg Youth Theatre” in Copenhagen.
From 2003 – 2009 Alex took part in many productions both on stage and screen. She has appeared as the lead in films such as: “Vera’s Vision”-Alex Cole and “Being Lego”-Ole Bornedal. As well as many theatre productions of all scales.
Since moving to England in 2009, Alex remained active within the acting world and has taken part in several productions, produced by the Marlowe theatre, the Gulbenkian theatre, National theatre connections and East15 Acting scool.
She has also played the lead in a national promotional film for the NHS and Childline campaign “Looking out for Lottie”, and various short films.
In 2016 she returned to Denmark to perform as Ophelia in “Hamlet Live” at Kronborg Castle, where she has now performed three seasons. She continues to play in various productions both on screen and stage.