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The Comedy of Errors

Presented by Stratford Senior High School at Stratford Senior High School

February 19-February 21, 2009

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Stratford Playhouse adds another show to their yearly line-up! The Stratford Playhouse is already at it again! Barnum closed on February 7th, and two weeks later, the Playhouse will present The Comedy of Errors. (Note:  This production is not a part of the season ticket package).

Held in Stratford’s Black Box Theatre, it will have a limited run – three shows on February 19, 20 & 21 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1594. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and wordplay. The Comedy of Errors (along with The Tempest) is one of only two of Shakespeare's plays to observe the classical unities. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-incestuous seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

Director Dave Clayton discussed the addition of a fourth show as follows: "William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors is the inaugural show for the Black Box season. I chose this play because it was both Shakespeare and a comedy. It is a basic mistaken identity comedy, which we have seen so many times. Shakespeare took the text from the Roman playwright Plautus. We watched some of Plautus’ work last year in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. So when audiences are laughing in 2009 at a show that they think is over 400 year old, they are actually laughing at a play that is over 2,000 years old."

"The thought behind the Black Box Season was to give more students an opportunity to perform and gain stage experience. As we increase the number of student actors with stage time, the better the playhouse will be for years to come. We also have turned the reins of the business end of the show over to the Thespian officers. They will design the programs, posters and tickets, as well as selling the tickets. In addition, they will organize the concession stand and their fellow students to work the show. Our goal is to give them a taste of what it is like to run a theatre. "

Join us February 19-21 to see what this talented organization can produce in record time!