MOBILE UNIT'S MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
May 29–June 29, 2025
Mobile Unit's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
By William Shakespeare
Original Songs and Music by Julián Mesri
Additional Lyrics by Rebecca Martínez
Directed by Rebecca Martínez
The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit celebrates its 15th year with the beloved romantic comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Director Rebecca Martínez and composer Julián Mesri (Mobile Unit’s The Comedy of Errors) reunite for their third consecutive year for this new take on the classic tale of love, deception, and misunderstandings, blending Latine influences, original music, and Shakespeare’s timeless wit. Presented mostly in English, with some Spanish language incorporated, this 90-minute, family-friendly production is designed to be accessible to a wide range of audiences. Mobile Unit visits parks, correctional facilities, and more locations in each NYC borough free of charge as part of The Public Theater’s commitment to making great theater accessible to all.
CALENDAR.
MAY
JUNE
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TUE 06/03
6:30 PM
The New York Public Library & Bryant Park
WED 06/04
6:30 PM
The New York Public Library & Bryant Park
THU 06/05
6:30 PM
The New York Public Library & Bryant Park
FRI 06/06
6:30 PM
The New York Public Library & Bryant Park; Open Caption
SAT 06/07
1:00 PM
The New York Public Library & Bryant Park
SUN 06/08
1:00 PM
The New York Public Library & Bryant Park
SUN 06/08
6:30 PM
The New York Public Library & Bryant Park; Audio Described
WED 06/11
6:30 PM
Wolfe's Pond Park
THU 06/12
6:30 PM
J. Hood Wright Park
FRI 06/13
6:30 PM
J. Hood Wright Park
SAT 06/14
6:30 PM
J. Hood Wright Park
SUN 06/15
6:30 PM
The Cathedral of St. John The Divine
TUE 06/17
6:30 PM
Sunset Park
WED 06/18
6:30 PM
Sunset Park
FRI 06/20
6:30 PM
A.R.R.O.W. Field House
SAT 06/21
7:30 PM
Queens Night Market
SUN 06/22
6:30 PM
Roy Wilkins Park
WED 06/25
6:30 PM
Maria Hernandez Park
THU 06/26
6:30 PM
St. Mary’s Park
FRI 06/27
6:30 PM
Travers Park
SAT 06/28
6:30 PM
The Peninsula in Prospect Park
SUN 06/29
6:30 PM
The Peninsula in Prospect Park
Free Theater. All Are Welcome.
Join us!
All performances take place outdoors. Chair seating is available at all locations, but seating is limited, and general admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, and is not guaranteed. There is no ticket distribution, and a reservation is not required. By clicking “Register To Receive More Information” and indicating your performance date, we will send you a performance reminder, detailed instructions on how to get to the location, and exciting content about the show! Let us know you are coming.
MOBILE UNIT TOUR SCHEDULE:
-
May 29-31: Astor Place (Manhattan)
-
June 3-8: The New York Public Library & Bryant Park (Manhattan)
-
June 11: Wolfe's Pond Park (Staten Island)
-
June 12-14: J. Hood Wright Park (Manhattan)
-
June 15: The Cathedral of St. John The Divine (Manhattan)
-
June 17-18: Sunset Park (Brooklyn)
-
June 20: A.R.R.O.W. Field House (Queens)
-
June 21: Queens Night Market (Queens)
-
June 22: Roy Wilkins Park (Queens)
-
June 25: Maria Hernandez Park (Brooklyn)
-
June 26: St. Mary’s Park (Bronx)
-
June 27: Travers Park (Queens)
-
June 28-29: The Peninsula in Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Navigate your way there with our Mobile Unit Tour 2025 Google map here.
Each date indicates with an icon which borough we'll be on tour:
is Brooklyn
is the Bronx
is Manhattan
is Staten Island
is Queens
- Friday, June 6 at 6:30PM: Open Caption Performance
- Sunday, June 8 at 6:30PM: Audio Described Performance
Learn more about Accessibility Services for People with Disabilities. If you have additional questions, need assistance or an accommodation, please feel free to speak to a member of our staff at any point during your visit or contact us at [email protected].
To reserve accessible seats for the Open Captioned performance on June 6 or the Audio Described performance on June 8, please email [email protected].
Want to reserve your seat to Free Shakespeare in the Park's TWELFTH NIGHT at the brand new Delacorte Theater this summer? Become a Supporter Plus with a gift of $300 or more, and you’ll have access to reserved seating at TWELFTH NIGHT. In addition to reserved seating at The Delacorte, Supporters Plus and Partners receive a wide range of year-long benefits. Join in today.
*Please note that reserved seating for a donation is limited in order to continue to keep the majority of tickets to Free Shakespeare in the Park accessible to all.
SHAKESPEARE FOR THE CITY is a spectacular summer celebration of free theater lighting up all of New York City!
The excitement kicks off with this 15th anniversary production of Mobile Unit's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. Then, in August, we mark the triumphant reopening of the legendary Delacorte Theater with a dazzling production of Free Shakespeare in the Park's TWELFTH NIGHT. And over Labor Day weekend, experience the power of community as Public Works presents a breathtaking choral adaptation of PERICLES, featuring New Yorkers from across the city, at the awe-inspiring Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
Every performance is completely free and open to all! Join us in celebrating the joy, power, and human connection of live theater all summer long!
Cast.
Carlo Albán
Borachio/Friar Francis/Musician
Broadway: Sweat (Theatre World Award). Off-Broadway: Romeo y Julieta, References to Salvador Dalí (Public Theater); Tamburlaine (TFANA); A Small, Melodramatic Story, Intríngulis (Labyrinth). Regional: The Odyssey (A.R.T.); Fandango (La Jolla); Whitelisted (CATF); The River Bride, Much Ado, Timon of Athens (OSF). London: Rare Earth Mettle (Royal Court). Film: Mile 22, Hurricane Streets, 21 Grams, Whip It, Margaret. TV: “Sesame Street,” “Thicker Than Blood,” “Prison Break,” “Black Bird.” Member of Labyrinth Theater Company.
Mayelah Barrera
Hero
is an actress, singer, and dancer from Monterrey, Mexico. A proud graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts NY, she debuted in New York with El Otro Oz at TheaterWorks, including its national tour. Barrera’s standout performances include co-starring as 'Fátima' in the sold-out run of Desaparecidas and singing with Jaime Lozano & La Familia at Lincoln Center. Additional credits: In Her Bones (Regional). She’s thrilled to make her debut at The Public! IG: @mayelahbarreram
Daniel Bravo Hernández
Claudio
is a NYC actor, born and raised. He believes Shakespeare wrote for the common people and is excited to participate in a production that will be accessible to all, including the Spanish speakers of NYC. Finalmente algo para mi gente! After closing Sam Gold’s Romeo + Juliet on Broadway, he’s honored to continue working on Shakespeare and hopes to keep doing it. Gracias a mis padres, Brian D. Hills, Clara Bello, y a Dios.
Hiram Delgado
Don Pedro/Verges
is a Puerto Rican Cuban actor and writer. Broadway: Tony winning revival of Take Me Out (Second Stage/Schoenfeld Theatre). Off-Broadway: The Hours are Feminine (INTAR), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Classical Theatre of Harlem), Romeo y Julieta (Public Theater), Agnes (59E59). Regional: Two Sisters and a Piano (Two River Theatre), The Model American (Williamstown Theatre Festival). TV/Film: Colapso, “Undercard,” “Homesick,” “New Amsterdam,” “Prodigal Son,” “Madam Secretary,” “The Code.” Training: MFA, NYU Graduate Acting. www.hiramdelgado.com
Katherine George
Understudy Beatrice, Hero, Margaret/Sexton, Dogberry, Don Juan/Conrade
is an Afro-Latina multi-hyphenate artist and educator from the Bronx, NY by way of the Dominican Republic. Recent acting credits include: House of Blue Robes (LAByrinth Theater Company), blood work (National Black Theater), Bees & Honey (Marin Theater Company), Clyde’s (Denver Center for Performing Arts). She served as a background vocalist for Jennifer Lopez at her NBC Fourth of July performance and Live Spotify Studio Session. Proud member of the Dominican Artist Collective. MFA: Columbia University.
Robert Marcelo Jiménez
Leonato/Watch
One of Robert’s favorite Public Theater experiences was originating the role of Martinez in Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award winning play, Take Me Out, directed by Joe Mantello. It was a unique opportunity to perform with a show from The Donmar Warehouse in London’s West End to The Public Theater in NYC, and then to the Walter Kerr on Broadway. Originating the role of Eddie in The Block by Dan Hoyle; Dir. Tamilla Woodard for Mark Plesent's Working Theater Five Boroughs/One City Initiative (Urban Stages).
Keren Lugo
Beatrice
The Public: Comedy of Errors, Romeo y Julieta (radio play), Privacy (with The Donmar Warehouse). Off-Broadway: The Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics (INTAR); Give me Carmelita Tropicana! (Soho Rep); Stargazers (Page 73), At the Wedding (LCT3); Actually, We’re F*cked (Cherry Lane). Regional credits: Yale Rep, Mark Taper Forum, Baltimore Center Stage, Two River Theater, Chautauqua Theater Festival. TV: “New Amsterdam,” “Orange is the New Black,” “The Americans.” Education: University of Puerto Rico, NYU Graduate Acting.
Cornelius McMoyler
Dogberry
is thrilled to be back with The Public. So many thanks to Jordan & Kate. Gratitude always to Ben, Ashley, Remy, and Alice at A&R. Broadway: Stereophonic. Off-Broadway: Hamlet (Free Shakespeare in the Park), Not My Monster (Flea Theater). New play development with NYTW. Juilliard MFA.
Jonathan Gabriel Mousset
Understudy: Benedick, Claudio, Leonato/Watch, Don Pedro/Verges, Borachio/Friar Francis/Musician
starred as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys (Ogunquit PH) and debuted at Carnegie Hall in Mozart: Her Story. Credits include In the Heights; tick, tick... BOOM!; Cinderella; Newsies; and It Happened in Key West. Born to Venezuelan immigrants, Mousset began performing at age six. Florida State University, BM in Music Theatre. His debut album One Take: A Jazz Album is available on all streaming platforms. IG: @jonathangabrielnyc
Sara Ornelas
Margaret/Sexton
was born and raised deep in the heart of Texas and wears her Mexican roots proudly. Her favorite credits include Frida Kahlo in A Ribbon About A Bomb, Maria in West Side Story, and Boli in American Mariachi. She was most recently seen in last year’s Mobile Unit’s Comedy of Errors and is excited to return! If she’s not substituting water with iced oat lattes, she’s boxing and sending TikToks at 3am. IG: Saravornelas
Martín Ortiz
Don Juan/Conrade
is a Mexican American artist based in New York City. Off-Broadway: The Greatest Hits Down Route 66 (59E59). Select credits: Manning (Portland Stage), Passionate Geometries (Symphony Space), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (NYU Grad Acting). MFA from NYU Graduate Acting.
Nathan M. Ramsey
Benedick
is thrilled to be returning to The Public! As a proud Afro-Latino, U.S. Air Force war veteran, and Bronx, NY native he couldn't be more excited for this production. Theater includes: Shane (Dallas Theater Center), Plays for the Plague Year (The Public Theater), The Tempest (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Training: MFA in Acting, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Thank you, Donna, and my GTG family! To my beautiful wife Courtney...WE HERE!! www.nathanmramsey.com
Creative.
Playwright
Costume Design
Music Direction
Intimacy Direction
Assistant Stage Manager
Partner Venues.
The Cathedral of St. John The Divine
The Fortune Society
Located in Queens, The Fortune Society is a nonprofit social service and advocacy organization, founded in 1967, whose mission is to support successful reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities. Learn more at fortunesociety.org.
NYC Parks
Prospect Park Alliance
Prospect Park Alliance is the non-profit organization that sustains, restores and advances Prospect Park, Brooklyn's Backyard, in partnership with the City of New York. The Alliance provides critical staff and resources that keep the park green and vibrant for the diverse communities that call Brooklyn home. Learn more at www.prospectpark.org.
Village Alliance
SPONSORS.
Leadership support for Mobile Unit is provided by the Abrams Foundation, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, JetBlue Airways, and The Tow Foundation. Generous support for Mobile Unit is provided by The MAE Private Foundation, Gina Maria Leonetti, The McLaughlin Children’s Trust, and an anonymous donor.