MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University will be bringing William Shakespeare into a modern setting during an upcoming production of “Much Ado About Nothing.”

The setting takes place at a deer camp in the Upper Peninsula with two friendly, eventually quarreling, families of Yoopers and snowbirds.

“Shakespeare isn’t really worth doing if the audience doesn’t see themselves in it; otherwise, it’s museum theater, which is a lovely production that sort of mimics how it was done back in the day,” said Iron River native and director Jimmy Ludwig. “It may be interesting and cool, but why do we care? The first act of the play is basically a party, which is similar to the second week of deer camp. Whether you got your buck or not, all you want to do is drink beer, play cards and just hang out.”

In seven weeks, the actors, set designers, props department, dramaturgs and more were able to put the show together. The set was completely designed by NMU students and the costuming as well.

“At one end of the stage will be a deer camp that looks like somebody’s grandpa built it,” Ludwig said. “You know the kind: no right angles, nothing matches, nothing’s level, and it’s been added onto multiple times.

“It’s the kind of place you can party like crazy and you don’t care, because you can be rough on it, and it will remain standing, right? And on the other end of the stage is a cottage like those you might see along Lake Superior.”

The language of Shakespeare was helped by the English Department head David Wood, as dramaturg, and student Dobbs Nichols as assistant dramaturg. Together the professor and student worked to get the actors to understand and speak Shakespearean English, which can lead to bad audience reaction if the actors can’t do either.

“Audiences aren’t nice to actors who do not know what they are talking about, so it is really important to know what you are talking about,” said Nichols. “An amateur practices their lines until they get it right but a professional practices their lines until they can’t get it wrong,”

This is the third main performance that has seen joint work between the NMU English and Theatre departments: the first taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, “Twelfth Night”; then “Salome” in 2023; now “Much Ado About Nothing.”; There will also be a sketch comedy show written by English students for a scriptwriting class to be performed this spring. The growing relationship between the two departments excites many in both programs.

“I am so excited about it,” said artistic director and assistant Theatre and Dance Department head Jill Grundstrum.

“I love it and now we don’t just get this but we get Monica McFawn in the English Department doing sketch comedy stuff and I think that has really taken off as well,” she said. “I think the sky’s the limit.”