the young company to Present Shakespeare's COMEDY OF ERRORS

Comedy of Errors, one of Shakespeare's earliest works, will be brought to the stage this June by students in Stoneham Theatre's young company Spring Shakespeare program. The Spring Shakespeare program brings classic theatre to life by challenging young actors in ways most contemporary theatre does not. Through workshops, students in grades 4-12 focus on the importance of textual content and how to communicate the text to each other and the audience through emotion, physicality, and jest. The application of these skills to the Bard's plays is no simple feat, but 19 enthusiastic kids are more than up to the task of performing Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors on Stoneham Theatre's stage on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Under the direction and instruction of Lydia Barnett-Mulligan and Education Associate Tyler Rosati, the students will depict the complexities found throughout the play where each character is fundamentally right in their earnest emotional responses to their bizarre circumstances.

Comedy of Errors is loaded with slapstick fun, verbal puns, and absurd twists and turns. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in a peculiar metropolis, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers-separated at birth! These two sets of estranged identical twins find themselves in the same city and swept away in a wild case of mistaken identities. Erroneous interactions lead to mishaps galore, a bit of kidnapping, and just a smidge of accused demonic possession in Shakespeare's silliest romp.

"Comedy of Errors is a perfect choice for our wonderful young company because it serves up an awesome challenge of fast-paced physical comedy driven by incredibly quick and clever language," said Director/Instructor Lydia Barnett-Mulligan. "Our students have not only risen to meet this challenge but have surpassed it by adding their own unique sense of humor to make a 400-plus-year-old story as fresh as if it was written today."

"The kids in this program are incredibly smart and quick-witted," said Education Associate Tyler Rosati. "They are able to utilize the text to drive choices for movement, staging, and emotion. This group of students is inventive in finding creative ways to share what they are saying with the audience. Audiences will love this production of Comedy of Errors."

The cast for the Spring Shakespeare 2015 production of Comedy of Errors is comprised of Natalie Good of Andover (Antipholus of Ephesus), Nathan Elmer of Andover (Ensemble/Servant), Bella Constantino-Carrigan of Arlington (Antipholus of Syracuse), Kelly Dinsmore of Billerica (Luciana), Caroline Sprince of Lynnfield (Ensemble), Elizabeth Daly of Lynnfield (Ensemble), Nick Doucette of Melrose (Dromio of Syracuse), Keith Morris of Melrose (Dromio of Ephesus), Maya Hamberg of Melrose (Egeon), Becca Hamberg of Melrose (Angelo), Talya Hamberg of Melrose (Second Merchant), Catherine Newell of Reading (First Merchant), Elisabeth Penafiel of Reading (Courtesan/Ensemble), Francesca Foti of Stoneham (Balthasar), John Pagliarulo of Stoneham (Ensemble), Francesca Panzara of Winchester (Adriana), Hope Johnson of Winchester (Duke Solinus), Grace Thompson of Winchester (Emelia/Ensemble), and Jane Burke of Winchester (Pinch/Ensemble).

Comedy of Errors takes place on Saturday, June 6, 2015 at 11am. Tickets are $15. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Stoneham Theatre's Box Office at 781-279-2200, or visit www.stonehamtheatre.org.

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