Dragon Interview: GSC’s Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing

Published on: 28 Jun, 2026
Updated on: 28 Jun, 2026

Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing banner – Guildford Shakespeare Company

By Isabelle Trubshaw

For centuries, Shakespeare’s plays have inspired countless theories and interpretations. One long-standing belief suggests that Much Ado About Nothing could be Shakespeare’s unofficial sequel to Love Labour’s Lost. This Summer, Guildford Shakespeare Company brings that idea to life.

As part of its 20th anniversary season, Guildford Shakespeare Company, in co-production with Orange Tree Theatre, presents a unique reimagining of two of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies.

Directed by Tom Littler, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing are staged as two standalone productions that together form one continuous narrative, spanning the years either side of the Second World War.

Performed by the same ensemble cast, the productions invite audiences to experience the plays individually or enjoy both together as an interconnected story exploring love, loss and reunion.

The performances will take place in the picturesque grounds of Braboeuf Manor from 1st to 25th July before transferring to the gardens of Thomas’s College in Richmond as part of OT on the Hill.

Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing cast.

I spoke to actress Phoebe Pryce, who plays Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost and Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, about bringing two of Shakespeare’s most celebrated heroines to life in this innovative open-air production.

How did combining two standalone productions into a single narrative affect your approach in developing the two characters you played?

Phoebe Pryce, Actress

Whenever you start working on a show, particular one that is well loved, you have to make decisions about it and decide who your characters will be. Then, you can’t imagine it not being like that. For me now, it’s so obvious that the characters from Love’s Labour’s Lost are the same as in Much Ado About Nothing, just 6 years younger.

The decision to set it when we’re setting it helped taking these characters from being giddy, joyful characters into these slightly more complex characters.”

In what ways does this modern interpretation build on, or take away from, Shakespeare’s original plays?

What is so magical, and sometimes quietly depressing, about Shakespeare’s plays is that the themes are still so relevant, and you can set them in any time and so many of those politics will still be so prevalent. There will be little shifts you make to make it more contemporary, but how it affects you and hits you, is still the same.

It’s almost like satisfying trickery, but I know I love it when I see productions set in a more modern-day setting. There is no filter at all. You just get lost in it, and then in the best way you forget that you’re watching a Shakespeare play at all. You get all the very best things from it without feeling ostracised or feeling like it is impenetrable.

What will audiences gain from experiencing both performances as a combined narrative rather than seeing just one of the two standalone plays?

The audiences will take away different things by watching just one or both. I don’t think either one is less satisfying. I don’t think you would feel short changed if you ended on love labours lost. You would really enjoy how much the women triumph, which doesn’t happen in a lot of Shakespeare’s plays.

However, when Shakespeare wrote both of these plays, there was a theory that they would have the same characters and that Much Ado About Nothing actually was going to be called Love Labour’s Won. So, it would be very satisfying if audiences could see the narrative all the way through to get a proper conclusion for the same story.

You would see how the war has impacted them, how all their relationship has changed. We have also added in a couple of Easter eggs in each of the shows, which draw them together.

What challenges come with performing open-air theatre?

I have done some outdoor theatre before, but the actors have always had a roof. Being out in the elements is quite thrilling. It’ll completely change the show. But it is such a wonderful company that I know whatever happens, we will just hold each other and figure it out.

Do you think there is strong place for this innovative type of theatre in the industry?

The thing I feel a bit disheartened by is that I think theatre should be the most innovative and take the most risks. It should allow people to be fully creative, make mistakes and see what happens.

Tragically, I feel like because of the financial climate and so many other contributing factors like the state of the arts in general, people are so much more afraid to take those risks. But that’s where brilliant work and brilliant theatre comes from.

So, when people like GSC company do that, when they’re willing to risk and see, I think that is such a commendable thing. So many companies are having to stick to much more commercial, traditional things because they are so worried about not getting bums on seats, and making mistakes, and that is such a shame.

I am massively supportive of people being brave in so far as they can, and I am aware of just how challenging that is.

Guildford Shakespeare Company is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Does it feel special to be part of such a milestone season?

It feels really special. Matt and Sarah are amazing. I am amazed by how much GSC do within the community, the profound effect they’ve had, and how much the company has grown. It is amazing to see that they can both be in a show and producing a show at the same time. It is an honour to be here.

Finally, if Shakespeare himself could come and watch this production, what do you think he’d make of it?

He would think it was the best two productions of Love’s Labour’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing that he’s ever seen!!

I really do hope that he feels that we are embracing all the different facets of it and having a really lovely time, which he would want us to be doing. But the thing is, we’ll never know.

Tickets for both performances can be booked here