In our second bonus episode of Season 2, we’re sitting down with the creatives behind the Mount Holyoke College (MHC) production of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. IFQT! producer, host, and the MHC Much Ado About Nothing Assistant Director, Lily Mueller (they/she/he), leads us in a roundtable discussion with this uniquely queer, trans, and neurodiverse cast, crew, and creative team. In this episode, you’ll hear these artists talk about their experiences working on this production, queering the arts, the importance of theater, and some of their visions for a perfect future. As Talia Pott, the production’s director, says, “We can use our voices as young people and our gifts as artists…to share our voice and our humanity out into the world…We are here and we’re not going to go anywhere.”

THE MUCH ADO ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS

Talia Pott (she/they) Director

Izzy Messina (they/he) Beatrice

Charlie Watts (she/they) Dogberry, Don John, and Ursula

Lily Mueller (they/she/he) Assistant Director

⚠️Please note that some resources may contain triggering content and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of, or the definitions used by, The Future Perfect Project.

⏱️TIME STAMPS:

1:21 Introducing the roundtable

3:34 Brief synopsis of Much Ado About Nothing

5:30 On queering a "heterosexual" play

7:08 Don John is queer-coded

9:19 Transmasc Beatrice

11:00 The power of theater & experiences being in a mostly trans+neurodiverse cast & crew

14:50 Experiences as a queer neurodiverse actor

15:54 Costuming flowers

17:49 Future theater dreams, w/ unlimited resources

20:55 Lily about their first-time directing experience

22:06 Julie Novak tribute

📝 RESOURCES/SHOW NOTES:

• MHC Much Ado About Nothing on IG: https://www.instagram.com/muchadomhc/
• For more about the roundtable participants and other links visit our site→ https://thefutureperfectproject.org/podcast#s2episode-8

🚨 CRISIS RESOURCES:

If you or a young person you know between the ages of 13-24 is currently in crisis, check out thetrevorproject.org for LGBTQIA+ specific support through text and chat, or call 1-866-488-7386

🫶 CREDITS:

IFQT! is produced by The Future Perfect Project with support from Radio Kingston, WKNY, Kingston, New York.

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