Speak Low If You Speak Love: A Round-Robin Interview with Ardeo Theatre Company’s Much Ado About Nothing Folk

I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes— and moreover, I will go with thee to— the black box at Tatem Arts to crash a rehearsal? Bet Shakespeare didn’t see that one coming! And neither, perhaps did the fantastic four— Beatrice, Benedick, Claudio, and Hero— as they were beset upon by me for a romping jaunt of a round-robin interview! In a TheatreBloom sit down exclusive, we’ve picked the brains of Shakespeare’s living finest…Gillian Shelly, Evan Crump, Maureen O’Neal, and Jake Urtes…who are all involved in the final production of the 2026 Frederick Shakespeare Festival— Much Ado About Nothing. **Note: this interview is unfiltered and uncensored, contains adult subject matter & topics, and possibly contains feral raccoons.**

Thank you all for giving up a little bit more of your time after finishing this rehearsal! Thrilled to be with you all and cannot wait to hear what you have to say about this production.

Gillian Shelly: My name is Gillian Shelly, and I’m playing Beatrice.

That was the sexy, smoldery, seductive voice. I suddenly wish this was an audio file where people could listen.

Evan Crump: My name is Evan Crump. And I’m playing Benedick.

That— was the opposite of what Gillian did. I’m really glad this is not an audio file where people can listen.

Maureen O’Neal: My name is Maureen O’Neal and I’m playing Hero.

Jake Urtes: My name is Jake Urtes and I’m playing Claudio.

Why did you want to be a part of Much Ado About Nothing?

Gillian: Why would I not want to be a part of Much Ado About Nothing? I have nothing deeper than that. I think Evan should actually take this, because this is very much— I’m not going to lie— this is a last-ditch effort— it’s a last-ditch Beatrice!

Oh shush. You don’t look your actual age and you look beautiful and you’re spit-fiery just like Beatrice.

Gillian: You’re too kind. But actually, my honest answer is ever since I started doing stuff with the Frederick Shakespeare Festival, I want to do everything and anything with them. That’s my honest answer. And it’s really fun to be able to do a comedy with people that I love and people that I’ve worked with before.

Gillian is a feral racoon. And these are the answers that you can expect.

Gillian: 100%. These are the answers!!! Truly, though, we all get to do a comedy, we all get to work together again, and I love this group.

Which we love for you and this wonderful group of people here with you for Much Ado. Evan, why do you— although if memory serves, I think you mentioned in the interview for Henry IV with Aaron, you had mentioned that this is the dream role you’ve been fighting to play for over a thousand years…

Evan: Yeah. Gillian and I actually harangued Aaron (Director Aaron Angello) to direct this so that we could get to this before we aged out.

Gillian: We are not saying aged out! We’re going to say we just wanted to do it— TOGETHER.

Evan: Yeah that. Beatrice and Benedick are the ultimate unserious couple that the audience is both rooting for and against at the same time. It’s a pretty delightful experience to go from watching them pretend to hate each other to watching them actually care about each other, to watching them pretend to hate each other again, until they’re finally cornered into admitting their true feelings.

That is so gooey. Maureen, why did you want to do this?

Maureen: I honestly just want to do theatre in this way with these people for the rest of my life. I don’t care what I do. That is just what I want to do— and it makes me emotional. I want to do this forever. And it’s one of those things with this specific bunch that it’s “onto the next, onto the next, what are we doing next?” And I’m just really thankful and grateful that I get to do this with these people.

I love this so much for you guys. I cannot wait to see what you guys put up next.

Evan: Funny you should mention…because we do have a show coming up next with all three of these people—

Oh! The musical!!! That’s right! You’d mentioned that during the Henry IV interview!

Evan: That’s coming in October and all three of these people are in it! I’m delighted to have this bunch be a part of that!

That is fantastic! And I cannot wait to see that and see these people! Jake! How did you end up here?

Jake: Do it for the plot! Nah, they lost a Claudio, Gillian texted me, ‘hey, we need a Claudio’ and I gave her a long list of reasons as to why I can’t do it. And they called my bluff. And here I am.

I love this for you, Jake. And you’ve done Shakespeare before, other than being on the on-stage musician guy for Henry IV just a few short whiles ago?

Jake: Yeah. I’ve done a lot of Shakespeare. I did Midsummer, Aaron directed me in Midsummer (Frederick Shakespeare Festival: A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2019; as Demetrius) here as a part of the festival. And I played Hamlet in this little troupe that I made. Gillian was there. That was all I really wanted to do. After that, I stopped acting, and I kind of started doing music more. I have my band— Shift Meal –

And your Shakespeare troupe— that was Grass Roots?

Jake: Yeah, Grass Roots Shakespeare.

Awesome. I love that! Now, Gillian. If you were going to be taking Benedick on a date, where would you take him?

Gillian: I would take him to bed first. Let’s be real. I’m just saying, let’s be real. Why pretend you wouldn’t? At this point— you do all the fun stuff in the bed and then you just raid the fridge, quite honestly. Like seriously, you sit around, you talk, you make fun of each other, you eat—

Tell us you’re a cheap date without telling us you’re a cheap date.

Gillian: 100%! And why not?

Oh mercy me. I love this. Evan, where are you taking Beatrice on a date?

Evan: I’m a big dinner and a movie guy.

Dinner? Yeah. Movie? Eh. I mean, I’m not judging.

Evan: Oh I think you should judge. But I think you should judge well! I find that it takes a lot of the pressure off when you can just be in the same space together but not have to be talking the whole time. You have part of the evening for talking but don’t have to be doing it the whole evening. One of my favorite go-to early dates is to take them to a park that’s closed.

Gillian: Because that’s not creepy.

You read my mind, Gillian.

Evan: No! No— you take them to a park that’s closed and you wander around where you’re not supposed to be because that’s an element of danger that makes it fun.

Oh my Gods. I love you guys so much. Maureen, where are you taking Claudio on a date?

Maureen: So this is a tough thing because Hero has so many expectations on her. She’s expected to be this chaste, good girl. I think what Hero wants to do and what Hero would do are two different things. I think she wants the full romantic experience. I think she wants dinner and a movie and then making out in the car afterwards. Realistically, she would probably really like to go roller skating. It’s the 80s. Roller skating on the boardwalk, with junk food, and then they’d probably still make out in the car anyway!

This is great. Jake?

Jake: I think Claudio’s probably taking her to a football game. He thinks that’s romantic and fun.

That’s very BRO.

Evan: I think she’ll be fine if there’s nachos.

All the nachos she can eat and making out in the car afterwards.

Maureen: Sounds good. I’m in!

Gillian, where are you and Beatrice meeting as a cross-section? Gillian and Beatrice, Beatrice and Gillian?

Gillian: I’m not going to lie, it’s a pretty serious cross-section. I feel like this character is not that far from— and everybody is nodding— she is not that far from me, in many aspects! In how she cat get snarky, how she can get sassy, how she can feel things really strong and it can be really intense. But also how she just loves her people like nobody’s business.

What about you, Evan, where are you and Benedick coming together at the cross-section?

Evan: I think we are both deeply unserious people. But I think that we both have a really strong undercurrent of a deep emotional connection to the ones that we’re close to, that we’re not always letting out there in the world except in these teasing ways.

Perfect answer. Maureen, cross-section for you and Hero?

Maureen: I think we both have this bubbly, fun energy. We’re quirky, very romantic at heart, emotions on our sleeves, and I think we’re also both people pleasers. I want so hard to make sure everyone is happy and I don’t always think about myself first. And I think that’s what Hero has sort of been bred into as well. A lot of these things that happen to her are not her fault. But I think if Beatrice had more of a say, more of an influence on her, Hero would stand up for herself a lot more and put her foot down. It’s been fun kind of figuring out what she gets from Beatrice in her station in life.

Absolutely. What about you, Jake? Where are you and Claudio meeting at the cross-section?

Jake: I feel like Claudio loves very quickly and strongly, which happens to me a lot. And he’s also kind of shy about it. Like he has to send the Prince to woo Hero on my behalf. And I’m like “Benedick, did you see her? I dunno, man, what do you think?” And I’m also like that. I pull my friends in, “Hey, what’s the deal with so-n-so” or whoever. I need a wingman.

Gillian, what is your favorite part in the play?

Gillian: Oh my God. I have several. I love anything and everything I have with Maureen. There’s not really a lot that Hero and Beatrice do together. So we were really like “who are these people?” We know these people, we know our relationship, we know their relationship. There’s a lot of pieces that are not in there that we are really fleshing out together and that has just been delightful.

You two are the OG-Sisterwives.

Gillian: We are the OG-Sisterwives, it’s very, very true! Also I’m really honestly very happy to be working with Evan in this kind of role. The last time we worked opposite one another we were Gertrude and Hamlet. So very, very different! But this has been really fun. It’s been fun to do the comedy stuff and it’s been fun to do the stuff from the heart and all of that, the whole thing has just been very, very fun.

Sounds like you guys have a perfect group right here for this.

Gillian: Yes we do! I love it. I mean, I guess basically, I just like people that have red-hair.

You’re a ginger-chaser? Wait— are we supposed to call the gingers anymore?

Evan: I think we should be called Coppers.

Gillian: The coppers!!!

That— sounds like something else. I think we’re going with redheads. Gillian, you’re a redhead-chaser?  

Gillian: I actually used to be terrified of them! And you can put that in there! IT’S TRUE!!!

Evan: I am her conversion therapy.

Gillian: It’s true!!! He’s like exposure therapy! I actually used to have a thing! And now I’m like “Please…come to me…” I have acclimated.

I think this might be a new marketing angle. “If you need redhead exposure therapy, Benedick will counsel you.”

Evan: Starter redhead exposure.

I cannot with you guys. I cannot!!! The laughter, the tears because of the laughter!! Evan— do you— f**k, I can’t even remember what the question was.

Evan: I don’t know. Something about redhead therapy.

No! It was not! It was— ah— here we go. Do you have a favorite moment in the play?

Evan: It’s the “kill-Claudio” scene. That moment is great but all we’ve seen up to that point is Beatrice and Benedick trying to get one up on each other, teasing each other, and being deeply unserious people. Then they’re faced with this really stark reality and their first instinct is to really comfort and support one another, which is a really cool moment. I think it’s where the audience really falls in love with them, at least, fingers crossed!

Maureen: Obviously, everything I do with Gillian, ever, for all time. Ever. It’s also been really special to finally be on stage with Evan. He’s directed me twice now, and we only have these like two-second interactions but they’re really fun and we’ve put thought into it! I also really love any time Dogberry says “Knave.” I just lose it!

And this is the “I am the Douglas” guy who’s playing your Dogberry (Matt Provance) yes?

Maureen: Yeah! It’s just the way he says it. His cop voice is very, very funny, so basically anything his Dogberry does I really, really love.

Jake: My favorite moment is probably when we’re telling Benedick but not ‘telling’ Benedick that Beatrice is in love with him. That scene that he overhears that we pretend not to notice he’s overhearing but we totally are doing it so that he can overhear us. I think that scene is so much fun.

I love both of those guiling scenes. Now, Gillian. Beatrice has just forgotten the five-year anniversary of their marriage. What is she doing?

Gillian: Why did she forget or how is she making up for it?

Let’s go with how is she making up for it.

Gillian: Am I allowed to say blowjob?

You can say whatever you want!

Gillian: Good. Then I feel like I got the right answer. I don’t have anything deeper than that! Well, I mean, deep is relative. But I’m just saying.

Evan: Not Benedick over here being like “Hell yeah, what was that about? Oh yeah, our anniversary, riiiight.”

Gillian: I am so sorry— feral. raccoon. But it’s true. That was from the heart!

It’s from the throat but okay! MOVING ON. Benedick has forgotten their five year anniversary, what is he doing to make up for it?

Evan: I gotta dig deep here. I think I’m taking her back to the spot where we first professed love to each other, which is right over there on that platform—

Gillian & Maureen: STAGE LEFT!

Evan: Yeah, what they said. We’re gonna re-enact that moment…ending in coitus.

Maureen I can’t even get the question out I’m laughing so hard. Your turn.

Maureen: Hero would never forget. Hero would a hundred-thousand percent never fucking forget. And if he ever forgets? She’s got such leverage like you would not believe. She is sitting back, doing her simply, lovely thing for her dear darling husband and it will be sweet and stuff but she is ready to rake him if he forgets!!

I am deeply afraid of this Copper— this redhead— in this moment, right now.

Maureen: Excellent! Hero will never forget. And he better not either!

Oh I cannot even— so despite all that, Jake—

Jake: When I forget—

Maureen: Oh don’t you talk to me about when!!!

Jake: When I forget…our five year anniversary…um…I guess I’ll take her roller skating because by now she’s told me she likes it.

Maureen: So you can remember I like roller skating but not our five year anniversary!?

Jake: I mean I don’t like roller skating but I’d take her anyway.

Aww? See? That’s love. Love is putting their needs before your own. All of you get that.

Jake: I also think she’ll let me know it’s a our five-year anniversary before we get to that point. I’ll be like “What is going on— oooh, shit.”

Gillian: I will have pulled him aside.

Jake: Yeah at that point, honestly? I’m calling every restaurant that exists to try and get a reservation and act like I had it the whole time.

Evan: I could see him pretending that he got called back to war again, just to avoid the whole ordeal.

You guys are epic. Now, what has been the challenge, for you, Gillian— I mean you have not really had a break. Quickly in H4 was sort of a break in that she was on-stage way less, but she wasn’t really a break. You have come in three-strong, so what’s your challenge coming into this?

Gillian: Actually, I’m going to say, we did it in the right order. You know what I mean? And we knew this when we looked at it and planned the schedule. It was the absolute best thing for me. To go from Virginia Woolf— after Virginia Woolf I honestly did not know how I was going to do anything. I was excessively grateful, and I said that multiple times. And I want to be clear, it wasn’t because of that that I was cast in those roles, those were just the roles I happened to have, but I was like “Thank God!” Because they were the perfect segue— coming out of Martha and then getting to take that second in Henry IV but then get to continue on and do this one! And end on this fun, up note. There’s emotion in it, there’s family, there’s friends, there’s friends, it’s whatever, but to me it was the perfect order for it. We just scheduled our next season and I think I only gave myself a two-week break, so ask me again in two weeks and I’ll let you know.

And Evan, we know that you came off of a hard-three as well, first playing Crazy Billy the telegram boy in that infamous production of Woolf, then directing Henry IV, and now you’re here. What’s been the challenge?

Evan: I find acting way less stressful than directing, no matter how big the role is. But for me, the big challenge with this role is 80s dancing. I am not a gifted, sexy athlete on the dance floor. According to Gillian, I am a very good white boy 80s dancer, which I do not take as a compliment, and probably should not take as a compliment.

Gillian: I just put it out there as facts! And he takes it how he wants.

And Maureen, you’ve also just had the three-way run. Honey in Virginia Woolf, double-duty in Henry IV and now here as Hero. What has been the big challenge for you?

Maureen: Sleeping. I don’t know what that is. I haven’t seen that in six months. I costumed and was in Virginia Woolf. I co-costumed, taking a little step back to assistant design for Henry, but I did a lot of choosing what goes together with what and that’s the stuff I really enjoy, and I had two really opposite roles in Henry, which was really a lot of fun, and now I get to sit back a little bit. Hero is so much lighter. Emotionally, she has a lot of depth because her life is ruined before the public’s eyes. And I’m also costuming this one! It’s been a lot of the same thing but different flavors of it? I’m enjoying it so much. I do very well when I’m go-go-go. It’s when I finally have a minute to sit that I collapse and I don’t want to collapse. I want to keep going forever. So the challenge is sleep.

I feel that on a visceral level and understand that more than I can explain. Jake, what’s your challenge?

Jake: Well one challenge is that I got the script a week ago and we open in 13 days***. And I haven’t had time to process exactly who Claudio is? I’m doing it in real time, which is fun. Also, I don’t have AC in my car and I drive from Baltimore so that’s a really big challenge.

Evan: I was right there two years ago when we were doing Hamlet. Exact same thing!

Yikes! Now, if you could be anybody in the show— not Beatrice— irrespective of gender, age, etc. Who would you be?

Gillian: Oh my god. Benedick.

That tracks. Evan?

Evan: I mean absolutely Beatrice. It’s the greatest women’s role in Shakespeare. And one of the greatest comedic roles period.

Jake: And let a man do it!

Evan: I’m tired of being the oppressed minority in Shakespeare! But seriously, Beatrice is so much smarter than Benedick.

Gillian: Damn right I am!

Oh my lordy. Maureen?

Maureen: I was going to say Benedick also but I think I would really like to do Beatrice as well.

Jake: Probably either Dogberry or Don Jon. And obviously Benedick, I just didn’t want to be basic.

Evan: I think you could actually, technically double Dogberry and Don Jon. They don’t share any scenes.

Jake: And they’re opposites so that would be a really fun track to do.

And of course now that we’ve breathed that into the ether, you know whoever does Much Ado next is going to do it. What has getting to be a part of this production taught you about yourself?

Gillian: It is teaching me that I need to take better care of myself. Mentally, physically, otherwise. One residual from Virginia Woolf— people talk about the mental, but for me, because I was in such a safe place with such good people around me the mental aspect of it didn’t follow through, the physical did. I’ve got a lot of physical pains and things that came from that that I’m still working through and it’s a very interesting phenomenon. Going from one to another, I have to figure out a way to pre-emptively take care of myself, just in life, but definitely in this progression, I’m feeling it in weird ways.

Evan: One thing I’ve always believed but not always experienced is that theatre is an act of joy.

YES.

Evan: One thing that is very consistently true about my experience in the Frederick Shakespeare Festival is that it has been an act of joy. I hope that what we’re doing with the festival, what Aaron and I are doing, and Gillian and Maureen, is bringing that joy to everyone involved whether they be on stage, back stage, or in the audience.

The Shakespeares that I have seen in the festival have brought me great joy. What have you learned, Maureen?

Maureen: That I am actually very good at 80s dancing! I am such an awkward person, physically, in every way. But there’s such a joy to it! Hero loves dancing so much. Getting to explore that, explore the music— I thought I hated 80s music. I thought I hated 80s dancing. I thought that was just a decade that I could cut out of the world and not be upset. I LOVE IT! I’ve really embraced it. The way that Aaron has designed this show— his particular vision for this show has made me fall in love with the 80s in a way that I never thought I would. It’s been so much fun just kind of letting go, being a fool, and finding that joy that’s on stage.

Jake: I don’t have a good answer for this. I’m learning that I perform really well under an immense amount of stress.

And now that you’ve put that out into the ether, you’re going to be their go-to-call-guy for whenever they need a last-minute replacement! Gillian, why do you want people to come out and see Much Ado About Nothing?

Gillian: Oh come out and see Much Ado About Nothing because you will have a wonderful time. I’m piggybacking on what Evan said. Finding joy in theatre, that is something that’s been going on— you come, it’s joy, family, friends, come and have fun, come have fun with us, it’s worth it.

I’m genuinely excited for this. Evan, why do you want people to come out and see it?

Evan: I think that Much Ado About Nothing is the best written romance that Shakespeare ever made. It might not be the best comedy in terms of yuks but it’s up there. It is definitely the best in terms of making you really care for and root for everybody coming out together.

Maureen: Because this is not your English teacher’s Shakespeare. This is such a fresh, stupid, unserious, clever feast that you would never in a million years expect to find in a Shakespeare production. I think there is something in this show for all ages. It’s a time-capsule for the 80s, which is fun, and there is just so much to enjoy. All the little things, all the big things, are just so unexpected!

Yes! Jake, why do you want them to come and see it?

Jake: I get to wear the dopest shorts.

Gillian: Facts!

Jake: I want people to see those.

Evan: Yeah, they saw me in those shorts and said “Nope. We’re putting Jake in these.”

Oh my God! I love you guys. And Maureen over here, being some sort of prescient, sentience…because this penultimate question here…if you had to take something from this unique 1980s and stick it in a time capsule…what is Beatrice putting in there?

Gillian: Hairspray. Period. That’s it. That’s my only answer.

Fair. What is Benedick putting in there?

Evan: Linen pants. Don Johnson linen pants.

Maureen: Wow. That’s a heavy question. I like the lacy socks. But also that wedding dress is amazing.

Gillian: I need to go back and amend. MY SPARKLY JUMPSUIT.

You get a sparkly jumpsuit? I now know what to wear when I come see the show.

Gillian: Sparkly jumpsuit is my actual answer. The party scene? The wedding? SPARKLY. JUMPSUIT. It’s gold and black.

Jake: It’s blue and white.

OH MY GOD. Does anybody even remember that?

Jake: I do.

Gold-black-blue-white sparkly jumpsuit, hairspray, linen pants, lacy socks, it sounds like we’re building a time-closet. Jake, what are you putting in?

Jake: My dope-ass shorts.

Two answers in a row here— Dope Ass Shorts. I love this. Final question. If you had to sum up your experience of working with Ardeo Theatre Company in the Frederick Shakespeare Festival on Much Ado About Nothing using just one word, which word do you use?

Gillian: Everything.

Evan: Glitterbomb.

Maureen: Wild.

Jake: What was the question? That was so fast.

Evan: shorts!

Jake: Oh. Um— Joy.

Much Ado About Nothing, an Ardeo Theatre Company production, is the final main-stage production in the 2026 Frederick Shakespeare Festival season and plays August 21^st 2026 through August 29^th 2026. Nine performances only at the Hodson Outdoor Amphitheater at Hood College— 601 Blazer Trail, Frederick, MD 21701. All tickets are Pay-What-You-Can and booking in advance is strongly recommended. Book tickets here.

This performance is outdoors*

*in the event of weather, the performance will be moved to the Black Box at Tatem Arts Center but only those with advanced booked tickets can be guaranteed a seat indoors if such a venue-change is enacted.

***this interview was conducted 13 days before opening