Outdoor Performances Set For "The Comedy Of Errors"
The People's Shakespeare Project will present "The Comedy of Errors" by William Shakespeare in the Tanger Arboretum on the campus of LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster. Performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays, June 13 to 16 and 20 to 23.
"The Comedy of Errors" is thought to be The Bard's earliest play reminiscent of Roman comedies with plenty of farce, physical humor, and mistaken identities. Director Jeff Wolfthal took inspiration from early 1900s Coney Island for the look of the production. "The Vaudeville style influences not only the fashion of the costumes and set decoration, but also the performance style," Wolfthal explained. "We utilize a live Foley artist providing sound effects and lean into the classic Vaudevillian fast-paced slapstick humor."
That style choice has proved to be the most challenging aspect of creating the show, as it is physically demanding. "Slapstick requires a good deal of athleticism and an intense attention to detail, as well as the acting ability to make something that has been rehearsed a million times and timed out meticulously look spontaneous and like it actually hurt," Wolfthal explained. "Every bit of violence has been planned out not only for the actors' safety, but so that it times up with our Foley artist and it feels satisfying for the audience. This also makes it the most rewarding aspect: Comedy's reward doesn't come until the audience arrives. The laughter makes all the hours of work worth it."
The drama centers around two sets of identical twins - with one set the servants of the other set - who are separated from their brothers shortly after birth. A series of misfortunate events brings them to the same town, and confusion abounds. To compound things further, each set of twins shares a name. Alex Stompoly and Griffin Yeyna will portray Antipholus of Syracuse and Antipholus of Ephesus, respectively. Tyler Rossi will fill the role of Dromio of Syracuse, and Michael Garland will be Dromio of Ephesus.
"When casting, I was looking for people with similar builds and looks, not necessarily twins. Unfortunately, we did not have any sets of identical twins audition for our production," Wolfthal related. "A lot of the effect of our twins is being accomplished by costuming. The twins are similarly costumed, but not completely identically. The differences in the costumes will do a lot for making sure the audience is able to follow along with who is on stage."
The other members of the cast include Dan Griffin as the Duke; Curtis Proctor as Antipholus' father, Aegon; Jules Schrader as Luciana; Phil Lisi as Balthazar and Dr. Pinch; Katrin Stayner as Aemelia; and Nick Rainville as the first merchant and officer. Phil Rooney is the Foley artist.
"We will be situated in the middle of the Tanger Arboretum on a lovely patch of level, shaded lawn, with ample parking and restrooms. This quiet, bucolic setting is perfect for preshow picnicking," said Laura Korach Howell, executive and artistic director of The People's Shakespeare Project. "Audience members should bring lawn chairs or blankets, as there will be designated blanket seating down front."
"Bring food, bring drinks, bring anything you want in order to enjoy yourself," Wolfthal invited. "We are not responsible for anything you spit out or that goes up your nose because you were laughing too hard."
A specific donation amount has been suggested for admission, payable at the gate. As the production will be staged outdoors, the performance will be canceled in the event of rain. Wolfthal noted that the tech team will be closely watching radar and weather reports and will try to make the call early in the day. Cancellation announcements will be posted on The People's Shakespeare Project's Facebook page.
For more information, readers may call 717-371-7793 or visit http://www.peoplesshakespeareproject.org.
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