Eden Espinosa and Tally Sessions To Lead MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING At The Old Globe; Full Cast Announced

The Old Globe has announced the full cast and creative team for William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. This beloved comedy is directed by the Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. Much Ado About Nothing will conclude The Old Globe’s 2026 Summer Shakespeare Festival. Performances run August 2 – 30, 2026, with the official press opening Saturday, August 8, at 8 p.m. 

Love, laughter, and mischief take center stage in one of the greatest romantic comedies ever written. Everyone can see that headstrong Beatrice and confirmed bachelor Benedick are perfect for each other-except Beatrice and Benedick! Their friends set out to bring them together, and soon elaborate schemes, false accusations, mistaken identities, and even a bumbling police force tangle in one of The Bard’s most beguiling theatrical delights. Celebrated Shakespeare director Barry Edelstein returns to the outdoor stage with this fast-paced, witty production full of colorful characters, brilliant wordplay, lots of music, and genuine heart.

‘Much Ado About Nothing is one of the great celebrations of love, wit, and romance, and bringing it to life requires performers of extraordinary caliber,’ said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. ‘I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Broadway powerhouses Eden Espinosa and Tally Sessions back home to the Globe. I directed them here in Rain and produced them in The Gardens of Anuncia, and so I know the beautiful sparks that fly when their brilliant, deeply moving artistry comes together. They are joined this summer by a particularly strong and hugely talented company of actors, and I’m looking forward to a wonderful production of American Shakespeare at its highest level. I can’t wait to share this Shakespeare favorite with San Diego!’

In the iconic roles of Beatrice and Benedick are Eden Espinosa (The Old Globe’s Gardens of Anuncia; Broadway’s Lempicka – Tony and Drama League Award nomination, Best Performance) and Tally Sessions (The Old Globe’s Henry 6, Broadway’s A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical).

Rounding up the cast of Much Ado are Jose Balistrieri as Don John (The Old Globe’s Henry 6, OnStage Playhouse’s Blue Period); Seth Gilliam as Don Pedro (HBO’s The Wire, Off Broadway’s King Lear); Benito Martinez as Leonato (The Old Globe’s One of the Good Ones, Mark Taper Forum’s The Trial of the Catonsville Nine); Ainsley Melham as Count Claudio (CIBC’s BOOP! The Musical, pre-Broadway run; State Theatre of South Australia’s The Normal Heart); and Jimmy Smagula as Dogberry (Broadway’s A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical, Spamalot).

The cast also includes students in The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program:Charlie Alguera as Oatcake and Balthasar; Lance D. Bush as Seacoal; Trevor Butler as Conrad; Juliette Cacciatore as Sexton and Fourth Watch; Ethan Fox as Borachio; Madi Goff as Margaret; Kristina Hinako as Verges; Stephanie Hinck as Hero; Conner Keef as Friar; Susane Lee as Boy and Second Watch; Max Lorn-Krause as Messenger and Third Watch; Shalyn Welch as Ursula; and Kayce Wilson as First Watch.

In addition to director Barry Edelstein, as part of the creative team are Lawrence E. Moten III (Scenic Design); Tilly Grimes (Costume Design); Russell H. Champa (Lighting Design); Melanie Chen Cole (Sound Design); Curtis Moore(Original Music); Patrick McCollum (Choreography); Jesse Perez (Voice and Text Coach); ARC; Duncan Stewart, CSA and Patrick Maravilla, CSA (Casting); and Jess Slocum (Production Stage Manager).