WTC presents “Much Ado About Nothing” in August

By Germaine Hupe and Rodney Orosco Special to the Express

He swears he will remain a bachelor, but there is something about her. She loathes him and yet can’t keep away from him. His friend falls for her cousin. Her cousin is smitten. A wedding is on. A wedding is off. And then there is the evil half-sister.

Yes, this year’s summer play in the park is a romantic comedy, perhaps one of THE romantic comedies, and it was written and performed more than 400 years before Harry ever meets Sally.

Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” will grace the boards at the Winter’s Community Center this summer on Fridays and Saturdays, Aug. 4 through Aug. 12. The Winter’s Theatre Company (WTC) will perform inside this year, because of structural prob- lems with the outdoor stage.

“Much Ado About Nothing” is a favorite of both actors and audiences, dating back to its first performance in 1598. The play’s enduring popularity is due to its romantic plots, witty dialogue, hilarious comic scenes, and even a touch of melodrama in the form of a plotting villain who is determined to destroy the reputation and happiness of major characters (sound familiar?).

The play’s two love stories are very different and serve as foils for each other. Beatrice is a witty, merry young woman who appears to dislike Benedick, a young officer, and she uses him as a target for her considerable verbal skills. Benedick, a confirmed bachelor, rails against women in general, and Beatrice in particular. These two engage in a verbal battle of the sexes ev- ery time they meet. It is, however, obvious to everyone but Beatrice and Benedick that they are meant for each other, and their friends plot to bring them together.

The other love story is traditional and uses one of Shakespeare’s favorite devices, love at first sight. Hero, Beatrice’s cousin, is a gentle, soft-spoken young woman. Her charm and demeanor attract Claudio, another young officer, who falls in love with her at their first meeting and plans to marry her as soon as a wedding can be arranged.

Unfortunately, a villainous plot to ruin Hero’s reputation threatens the happy ending but adds suspense and drama to the story.

The audience then meets the comic characters of the town, constable Dogberry and her sidekick Verges. Dogberry is well-meaning but self-important, inept, and given to hilarious malaprops. Verges is Dogberry’s “yes man” and foil for her humor. The night watchmen are typical working-class citizens who misunderstand most everything they see, but they end up “saving the day.”

“Much Ado About Nothing” was originally set in Messina (Sicily), but acting companies often change the physical location and timeframe of Shakespeare’s plays, as they are in the pub- lic domain. WTC’s production is set in Spanish–California. Movie-goers may be reminded of Zorro movies which used a similar backdrop. These “Californios” maintained a lifestyle similar to that of the Spanish aristocracy, one based on family honor and tradition, one enhanced by religious faith. The early Californio setting of this production makes it especially appealing to local audiences who may find the setting familiar. For audiences accustomed to bringing food and drink for the outdoor theater setting, this year we are looking forward to selling Mexican food and treats before the show and at intermission, to be enjoyed inside. For tickets and more information, visit www.winterstheatre. org, or call 530-7954014.

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Wednesday, July 19 Creek Explorers: Predatory Birds, 2 p.m., Winters Community Library

Wednesdays

Eat Well Yolo Drive – Through Food Distribution, Wednesdays, 3:30 p.m. As supplies last, Winters High student parking lot, off Railroad Avenue

Thursday, July 20

Summer Program: Nature Journaling, 2 p.m., Winters Community Library

Winters JUSD School Board Meeting, 6 p.m., School District Office, Zoom Meeting info, check https://bit.ly/ WintersJUSDBoardAgendaCommunitySite

Gazebo Concert Series: Los Tres de Winters, 7-8:30 p.m., Rotary Park Gazebo

Thursdays

Eat Well Yolo Food Distribution, first and third Thursdays, 10 a.m. As supplies last, RISE, Inc., 417 Haven St., 530-668-0690

Friday, July 21

WSW Presents "Twelfth Night", 8 p.m., Winters Wooden Park Playground Stage

Saturday, July 22

WSW Presents "Twelfth Night", 8 p.m., Winters Wooden Park Playground Stage

Monday, July 24

Winters Community Blood Drive, 3 –7 p.m., Winters Community Center (201 Railroad Ave.), Register at Vitalant.org or call 877-258-4825 with code 'SMFM164'

Tuesday, July 25

Summer Program: Magician Brian Scott, 3:30 p.m., Winters Community Library

Winters Planning Commission Meeting, 6:30 p.m.,City Hall Large Conference Room (Abbey Street entrance), Zoom Meeting info, check www.cityofwinters.org/planning-commission/

Upcoming

Wednesday, July 26

Creek Explorers: Aquatic Macroinvertebrates 2 p.m., Winters Community Library

Thursday, July 27

Summer Program: Triple Raptor Rally, 2 p.m., Winters Community Library

Library Services

Winters Library Open to Public (No School in Session)

Winters Community Library, Mon/Wed: 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Tue/Thu: 12–8 p.m., Fri/Sat: 1–5 p.m.

Teen Tuesday (ages 12-18), Second Tuesdays, 2 p.m., Winters Community Library

Bilingual Storytime (ages 0-5), Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m., Winters Community Library

Virtual English Conversation Group Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m., One time registration required: Contact Nancy Pacheco 530-666-8019 or nancy.pacheco@ yolocounty.org

Mangonada Monday (ages 6-12), fourth Monday, 3:30 p.m. Tech Thursdays, Thursdays, 2-7:30 p.m., call 530-6668005 to schedule an appointment. Bilingual sessions available upon request.

Saturday Matinee, First Saturday, 2 p.m., Winters Community Library

All You Need is Love Romance Book Club, Second Saturday, 4 p.m., Hooby’s Brewing

Older Adult Programs

Winters Senior Foundation Chair Yoga Class for Seniors, Wednesdays, 9:30-11 a.m., St. Anthony Parish Hall (511 W. Main St.)

Winters Senior Foundation Social Gathering Thurdays, 1-3:30 p.m., St. Anthony Parish Hall (511 W. Main St.)

Ongoing

Winters Farmers Market, Sundays, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Main Street – downtown Winters, discoverwinters. com/farmers-market

Winters Wide World of Sports exhibit (Closing July 30) Thursday thru Sunday, 1-5 p.m., Winters Museum, 13 Russell St. Winters Friends of the Library meeting, first Monday, 7 p.m., Winters Community Library, Margaret Parsons Room, wfol.org

Rotary Club of Winters meeting, Thursdays, Noon, The Buckhorn Winters Museum public hours, Thursday thru Sunday, 1-5 p.m., 13 Russell St.

Winters Open Mic, third Saturday of the month, 6 p.m. (sign-ups begin at 5 p.m.), Downtown Main Street.

Kiwanis Club of Winters meeting, fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m., Hooby's Brewing

Democracy Winters meeting, third Saturdays, 10 a.m.Noon, Meeting details in newsletter, contact info@ democracywinters.org

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» St. Anthony Parish Hall, 511 Main St. (back entrance) Tuesdays, 7-8 a.m. and Fridays, 7-8 a.m.

History, highlights of local sports

If there’s anything Winters does as well — or better — than agriculture, it’s athletics. Sports are an integral part of the town’s heritage, and although the sports exhibit at the Winters Museum will be replaced soon, the competitive spirit of athletes past and present lives on in the thriving sports culture of Winters.

The town itself was started in 1875 with the earliest evidence of sports in Winters being in 1877. According to Tom Crisp, local historian/author/ former Winters High School teacher and athletic director/former (and sometimes current) high school and middle school basketball coach, the Woodland town baseball team challenged the Winters baseball team to a game which indicates there must have been a team present in the small town to challenge.

While Crisp found that evidence in an old article, he also suspects it was highly likely horse racing may have been the first sport to make its way into town as Theodore Winters bred racehorses on his property.

“The high school started in 1892 and it was very, very small. In 1898, they had a baseball team, but whether all those guys that were on that team actually went to the high school or were just high school age is not clear,” said Crisp. “An athlete who comes to mind is Jonah Graff. He went to WHS and graduated with a commercial diploma which basically is there for someone who needs some of the basics to go into business. He got that in 1913, is not in the high school at all, then in 1915 he goes back to WHS and he and Percy Ritchie were the leading players on the WHS basketball team and were later dubbed the ‘Winters Champs.’ Then in 1917, Ritchie, Graff, and Pete and Bill Scott went and played on the St. Mary’s team. Jonah’s St. Mary’s letterman’s jacket is here in the exhibit, too.”

Although women’s sports weren’t as prominent back in the day, there was a women’s basketball team (Crisp estimates it started around 1906) before a men’s basketball team at WHS (which started in 1911) — while football didn’t get started until