Aug 20, 2026
By Heath Scofield
Lace up your skates, feed your pet rocks, then roll on over to the Crossroads Event Center to catch Rise Up Arts Alliance’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.
Starting Thursday, Aug. 20th and running until Sunday, Aug. 23, Rise Up reimagines the world of Claudio and Hero in the funky earth-tones of the 1970s.
“My favorite part of the show is the disco dance,” describes Carrie Love, who plays Hero’s attendant Margaret, “It’s a fun 70s vibe!”
The entire performance pays homage to the decade, from the forementioned disco to the wood-paneled set complete with jukebox, and no tribute would be complete without cool threads and off the hook music.
“Everyone involved has put so much work into remembering lines, finding costumes, running music, mics, lights,” explains Summer Hartman. “It really is a wonderful show, and in my opinion, one of the easiest Shakespeare shows to follow along to.”
The story itself takes place at the home of Leonato (Scott Gottliebson) who hosts Don Pedro (Connor Rowe), Prince of Aragon, and his fighting men following a victory in battle. Amongst the retinue are Claudio (Summer Hartman), a Count from Florence; Benedick (Cosylnn Lingnofski), a soldier from Padua; his illegitimate brother Don John (Annie Allen); and Don John’s followers Borachio (Elizabeth Poklinkowski) and Conrade (Jay Melick).
Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter Hero (Kaya Crihfield) and the two conspire to match Benedick with Hero’s cousin Beatrice (Haley Pearce).
“Shakespeare’s work has relevance today,” said Love, “we are bringing it to life with a 70s flair.”
Tickets are $10 and may be purchased online at: Ludus – Rise Up Arts Alliance.
If you order online a day or more in advance, you can also prepay for special tie-in concessions such as the “Much Ado About TV Dinners” – a tray with meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes for $10. For a sweet treat, order “Cosmo’s Cosmic Cream Split” – a twist on the classic sundae with Twinkies as the base instead of bananas.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Aug. 23 at the Crossroads Event Center (2095 West Fair Ave., Lancaster.
This performance is the second in Rise Up’s new tradition of ending the summer with Shakespeare, following last year’s popular A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Next up for Rise Up will be “The Phoenix Fantasy Ball” on Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. This year, the 21-and-over event moves to JEMN View Farm (6134 Landis Road SW, Lancaster).
