May 23, 2014 @ 6:00pm -and-
May 24, 2014 @ 6:00pm

Foshay Performing Arts Theater
3751 S. Harvard Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90018
323-373-2700

Tickets are $8.00 at the door.

Plot Summary:
This
 story 
takes 
place 
in 
Messina, 
Italy
 at 
the 
palace 
of 
Governor 
Leonato. 
Leonato
 has 
one
 daughter 
who 
is 
named 
Hero. 
He 
is 
also
 raising 
Beatrice, 
his 
niece.
 These 
two 
young 
ladies 
are
 the 
main
 female 
characters 
in 
the 
play. 
Hero 
is 
younger,
 quiet 
and
 sweet. 
Beatrice 
is 
outspoken,
 clever, 
and 
doesn’t
 ever 
want 
to 
get 
married.

When 
the 
story 
starts, 
Don 
Pedro 
and 
his 
soldiers 
have 
just 
won 
a 
great 
war 
and 
everyone 
is
 excited.
 Leonato 
invites 
all 
of 
the
 soldiers 
to 
eat 
and 
rest 
at
 his
 palace. 
Two
 of
 the
 soldiers 
are
 named 
Claudio 
and 
Benedick.
 They 
are
 the
 main
 male
 characters 
in 
the 
play. 
Benedick 
is 
loud,
 funny 
and 
brags 
a
lot.
 Claudio 
is 
quiet, 
shy 
and 
a
 new 
war 
hero.
When 
Claudio 
meets 
Hero 
the 
first
 night 
they
 fall
 instantly 
in 
love. 
However, 
Claudio 
is 
too 
shy
 to 
talk 
to 
Hero 
or 
Leonato
 about 
his
feelings. 
Don 
Pedro 
promises 
to 
help 
Claudio 
by 
talking 
to
 Leonato
 for
him
 later 
that
 night.
 Don 
Pedro 
says 
he 
will 
ask 
Leonato 
if 
Claudio 
can
marry 
Hero.

The 
villain 
in 
the 
play 
is 
named 
Don 
John. 
He 
is 
the 
brother 
of 
Don 
Pedro 
and 
he 
is 
jealous 
of
 Claudio 
for 
being 
the 
hero 
of 
the 
war.
 His
side kicks 
are 
named 
Conrad 
and 
Borachio. 
Don 
John
 spends 
most 
of 
the 
play 
trying
 to 
ruin 
Claudio’s
 life. 
For 
example,
 Don 
John 
tells 
Claudio
 that
 Don 
Pedro 
was 
actually 
trying 
to 
woo 
Hero 
for
 himself.
 That 
plan 
doesn’t 
work
 for
 too
 long,
 however, 
because 
Leonato
 and
 Hero
 soon
 arrive
 to 
accept 
Claudio’s
 marriage 
proposal.

Hero 
and 
Claudio
 are
 happy
 and
 decide
 the
 only
 thing
 that
 could
 make
 them 
happier 
is 
if 
their
 good 
friend
 (Benedick) 
and 
cousin
 (Beatrice) 
were 
to 
fall 
in 
love. 
This
 is 
quite 
a 
challenge
 because
 Benedick 
and
 Beatrice 
are 
always
 mean
 to
 each
other.
 Claudio
 and
 Hero
 decide 
to 
trick 
 them 
into 
loving 
one 
another 
by 
spreading
 rumors
 about 
them
 being
 in 
love. 
All
 the 
men 
help
 spread
 rumors
 about 
Beatrice
 and
 all
 the 
women
 help
 spread 
rumors 
about
 Benedick.
 When
 Benedick
 and
 Beatrice 
hear 
the
 rumors 
about 
each
other, 
the 
plan
 works
 and
 they 
fall 
in 
love!

Eventually 
Don 
John 
and 
his 
sidekicks 
come
 up 
with 
another 
plan.
 They
 decide
 to 
trick 
Claudio
 into 
thinking 
that
 Hero
 loves
 somebody 
else 
so
 that 
their 
wedding
 will
 be 
ruined. 
Don 
John 
tells 
Borachio 
to 
stand
 at 
the 
bottom 
of 
Hero’s 
window 
and 
woo
 her 
maid 
Margaret.
 Because 
it 
is 
 night time, 
Claudio 
thinks
 Margaret 
is 
Hero 
telling
 another 
man 
that
 she
 loves 
him.
 Don
 John’s
 plan 
works. 
Claudio 
is 
furious
 and
 swears
 to 
deny 
Hero 
the 
next 
day 
at
 their
 wedding.

The 
funniest 
character 
in 
the
 play
 is
 named 
Dogberry.
 He 
is 
the 
leader 
of 
The 
Watch 
(or 
the
 guards) 
at 
Leonato’s 
palace.
 Leonato
 asks 
Dogberry
 and
 his
 watch
 to 
be 
on 
the 
look
out 
for 
evil
 around 
the 
palace. 
Dogberry 
is 
so 
funny 
because 
he 
mixes 
up 
his 
words 
and
 confuses 
things 
all
 the 
time. 
Nobody
 thinks 
Dogberry 
is 
very 
smart, 
but 
he 
ends 
up 
being 
the 
one 
who 
finds 
out
 about 
Don 
John’s
 plan
 and
 saves 
the 
wedding
 day!

(courtesy of Shakespeare.com)