Piedmont Shakespeare Company is kicking off its summer touring production of Much Ado About Nothing.

The play itself, a comedy in five acts, is known for its relatability. Much of it was written in prose versus poetry, so it sounds like the way people talk. And it’s chock-full of relatable themes: love and loss, parenting and insecurity, jealousy and suspicion — a veritable 16th-century reality show.

Piedmont Shakespeare Company Director Carl Forsman says they want a wider audience to be able to access these themes.  

"The words were meant to be spoken aloud," he says. "They were meant to live and breathe in the space in, amongst, and between people, and by making it free and bringing it on tour all around the Triad, we're doing everything we can to make this resource available to everyone."

That includes an American Sign Language-interpreted performance in Greensboro. And there’s free childcare with reservations in the Gate City and Burlington.