New Web Series 'A Bit Much' Updates Shakespearean Comedy for the Internet Era

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it took Three to make this web series,” quipped Colleen Scriven, the writer and director of the new series A Bit Much.

The web series, which began streaming online on July 15, is based on Shakespeare’s comedy "Much Ado About Nothing" and came about through the efforts of three Three Village natives: Colleen, a graduate of Ward Melville High School (’11); Kennedy Daniels, the assistant director and fellow Melville graduate (’13); and Rory Scriven, Colleen’s younger brother and a current Murphy Junior High School student. 

“I saw the play [Much Ado] on Broadway last year and also watched some 1940s serials and thought, ‘what a fun, short format,’” said Colleen of the inspiration behind A Bit Much. “The show was kind of the birth of those two weird pop culture ideas.”

Filmed in the Three Village area, the show puts a modern spin on the 16th century play, and features the tagline “Shakespeare goes to summer camp.”

“I wanted to air the show in the summer and I felt that summer camp is a unique experience,” said Colleen. “You’re isolated from the rest of the world and at camp you’re able to grow close to people quickly. Plus I didn’t want to involve Facebook because social media would’ve made the Shakespearean drama and miscommunication too easy to avoid.” 

After writing the original script in September, Scriven sought a way to finance the series. The CUNY Brooklyn College student applied for a grant through the City University of New York system, was provided with a grant in March, and began shooting in April. 

The show, which currently has three episodes available on the site, airs new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday night. Besides writing and directing the series, Colleen plays Margret while her brother Rory plays John.

“He has great looks for a villain,” Colleen said of Rory. “Mostly because he’s a 12-year-old red-headed boy. It’s funny, most of us are in our twenties and have other jobs but we all had to work around Rory’s elementary school schedule and lacrosse practice,” she said with a laugh. “He had the most conflicts.”

For more information about A Bit Much, visit campmessina.com.