Take a step back in time while watching a timeless tale about love, lies and deceit.

The George Rogers Clark High School Fine Arts Cohort will perform John Minigan’s one-act adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Tuesday, May 15 at 7 p.m.

“We chose it because I wanted to do Shakespeare play with them,” Jacobus said. “It’s a good theater tradition.”

Jacobus said Shakespeare’s plays always have timeless themes. She said “Much Ado About Nothing” is a romantic comedy centered around rumors, tricks and deception.

Emily Jacobus, drama teacher at GRC, said the cohort students have studied the play and worked on the adaptation all semester. She said the students have particularly fine-tuned their characters and emotional arcs.

The students plan to perform in the courtyard of GRC.

“This outdoor, theatre-in-the-round setting hearkens back to the way Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed, and has been a uniquely challenging experience for our students,” Jacobus said in an email. “The final production will be full of life; an immersive experience for the audience as well as the players.”

The play will run for about an hour. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students. The money raised will go back into the program. Students will perform in the GRC Cardinal Theater in case of rain.

“These are some of the best up and coming actors of our area and this is a showcase of that,” she said.