With their hearts shattered, a battle of wits surrounds young lovers who face lies and deception in a western town. With the success of previous drama performances, the drama team is at it again with another Shakespeare remake.

The team has taken Much Ado About Nothing and put a western twist to it, calling it Much Ado Out West. Wade Bradford?s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing will be performed Jan. 13-14.

The plot line closely follows its Shakespearian relative. Characters Ben, Claude and Pedro are returning home from the Civil War and are accompanied by a new comrade Calamity Jake/Jane. Unknown to the returning warriors, Calamity is actually a girl.

As the boys arrive at “Aunt” Sue’s farm, Ben begins word sparring with his tom-boy rival Betty while Claude falls head over heels for her southern belle cousin, Winny.

After a rather heated showdown between Betty and Ben, the rest of the cast plots to “hook those two up” in hopes to have the two nemeses fall in love.

For this rendition of Much Ado Out West, junior Kim Weis will be playing the part of Winny with seniors Jason Damm as Claude, Brianna Stobbe as Betty and Paul Kinnear, as Ben.

While the drama often performs seamlessly onstage, many have experienced occasional embarrassing or awkward moments.

?For my character I play a cowboy who is sort of an idiot,? Damm said. ?There are some moments I?ll never forget.?

Stobbe?s character is very proud that, while she is a girl, she can still do men?s labor. Throughout the play she keeps a masculine persona while maintaining a feminine side.

?I?m looking forward to doing something a little different then normal,? Stobbe said. ?The square dance sequence and being able to dress up in western Civil War outfits will make the overall performance a lot of fun.?

For some students performing can be more than just entertainment but also a learning experience.

?I think it would be an enriching my knowledge seeing a different version of Much Ado About Nothing,? James Brown, ?06, said. ?Especially since we are studying Much Ado About Nothing for Academic Decathlon.?

Drama teacher Tom McEntee is looking forward to utilizing the unusual to add interest to the play and make it more exciting.

?We have variety of things happening in this play both funny and random,? McEntee said. ?The rubber band war, an actor swinging out over the audience and a real kissing scene are the unusual scenes that add spice to this play.?

For more information on the drama department, contact McEntee at [email protected].