Senior Liz Risley’s heart thundered in her chest. Each anxiety-ridden step brought her closer to reality. Risley had been waiting for this moment for years.

At the end of the hallway, people crowded around the cast list posted just outside Room 269.

“It was either going to be the walk of shame or victory,” Risley said. “I just couldn’t tell which. Then I saw the cast list, and I freaked out. I always wanted to be Beatrice, but I didn’t go out there expecting to be her.”

Risley scored the lead role in this year’s fall play, “Much Ado About Nothing.”

“Much Ado About Nothing” follows the relationships between four main characters: Beatrice, Benedick, Hero and Claudio. In a “battle of the sexes,” Beatrice and Benedick give each other trouble with their witty remarks. While Beatrice and Benedick bicker, a love story unfolds between Hero and Claudio. However, conflict quickly ensues when the villainous Don John sets out to separate the young lovers.

Naperville North’s adaption gives this Shakespearian play a modern twist. According to director Andrew Simon, the production takes place during the 1960’s in Modesto, California.

“We were looking for a period when there was a war going on because the first scene starts with the men having come back from war,” Simon said. “The 1960’s also work well because it was a time of great passion and turbulence within the United States. We felt that would work well with the content of the play.”

Audience members can also expect to see improved special effects.

“I think you’re going to see a huge upgrade in terms of the whole set and lighting because of the addition of Patrick Spreadbury as our new technical director,” Simon said. “It’s going to be a much more interesting design, much more decorative in terms of how it’s done.”

According to Simon, the actors truly bring the show to life. He first began the rehearsal process by discussing and familiarizing the cast with Shakespearian language. After all the actors understood their lines, they developed their characters with emotional depth. Junior Josh Love, who plays Benedick, said that he grew from Shakespeare’s challenging prose.

“You really have to know what it is you’re saying,” Love said. “If you change your inflection a minute way, it changes what you’re saying completely. You really have to stress diction a lot more.”

“Much Ado About Nothing” marks the first Shakespeare play for Risley, Love and several other cast members at NNHS. According to Simon, the theater program lost a lot of talented seniors with last year’s graduating class. This gave newer actors an opportunity to rise to the occasion.

And for Risley, it’s a welcome challenge. She has fostered a lifelong love for Shakespeare, and “Much Ado About Nothing” has always been her favorite.

“The first Shakespeare play I ever saw was ‘Much Ado About Nothing,'” Risley said. “I saw it at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater when I was about ten. I think I may have been the only ten-year-old who thought that Shakespeare was so cool.”

The play opens on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in the NPAC. The production continues on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. and concludes on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. Tickets will cost $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults at the door.