The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare. Fall 2016.

The Comedy of Errors is a raucous and hilarious play that follows two sets of twins who were separated at birth in a sea-storm. One pair washes up on the shore of Syracuse, which turns out to be the home of their long-lost brothers. A series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities leads to a near-seduction, an arrest, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession. Inspired by both the Roman humorist Plautus, and commedia dell’arte of the Italian Renaissance, The Comedy of Errors is truly comedy at its best. Latin students learned about the source material for Comedy of Errors and led a workshop with our actors about the line from Roman Comedy to commedia dell’arte to Shakespeare. World History students got a masterclass in commedia dell’arte from theatre faculty, and then created education materials for our community so they could learn more about the style of theatre. Three teachers across three disciplines came together to make it all happen.

Set and Lighting Design by Charles P. Raffetto. Costume Design by Ashley Tyler. Photo Credit: Joanna Chattman.