Shakespeare's THE COMEDY OF ERRORS at A Noise Within

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, sends in the clowns for William Shakespeare's freewheeling farce, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, directed by Michael Michetti, opening Saturday, March 5 and closing Saturday, May 14, 2011 (previews begin Saturday, February 26). A "Pay What You Can" date, which allows patrons to purchase tickets for what they can afford, is Thursday, March 3.

One of the Bard's most beloved comedies, this zany adventure offers an upside/down, inside/out topsy-turvy world of identical twins, loony lovers, mistaken identities and joyfully inept near misses. Michetti, who describes The Comedy of Errors, as "one of Shakespeare's liveliest, most exuberant plays," adds a unique twist, staging a "play within a play" as though a 1920's American Vaudeville or Burlesque company is presenting a production of The Comedy of Errors. "Much of Shakespeare's dialogue is written in snappy rhythms similar to those that were later employed in burlesque sketches, and the broad comedy in the play lends itself perfectly to this setting," Michetti explains.

The members of a fictitious Burlesque company - among them comics, dancers, a strongman and a ventriloquist - portray Shakespeare's characters. Transitional choreographed sequences with a live pianist further illustrate the Burlesque characters' world, and Michetti has created a silent movie, in the style of the period, to depict key plot points.

The cast includes Annie Abrams as Luciana (and the Burlesque company's "the Ingénue), Gibby Brand as Nell and Emilia ("the Drag Comic"); Abby Craden as Adriana ("the Red Hot Mama"); Andrew Dits as The Officer ("the Strong Man"); Michael Stone Forrest as Egeon ("the Old Comic"); William Dennis Hunt as Duke Solinus ("the Classical Actor"); Jerry Kernion as Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse ("the Top Banana"; Paul Masterson as Balthazar and the Second Merchant ("the Apprentice"); P.J. Ochlan as Angelo and Pinch ("the Ethnic Comic"); Lauren Robyn as The Courtesan ("the Burlesque Dancer"); Rene Ruiz as The First Merchant and Others ("the Ventriloquist"); and Bruce Turk as Antipholus of Ephesus and Antipholus of Syracuse ("the Matinee Idol").

Michetti previously directed ANW's critically acclaimed productions of the Bard's As You Like it, Don Juan and Hamlet. This production is part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest.

To enhance the theatre-going experience, A Noise Within offers comprehensive study guides for every production, each with a synopsis, director's notes, general theatre lore, links to other resources and detailed information about the playwright, characters, setting, period, costumes, scenic design, music and more. The Comedy of Errors Study Guide - along with those for previous A Noise Within productions - is available on-line at http://www.anoisewithin.org/education_studyguides.html.

A Noise Within (ANW) is the only year-round classical repertory company in Southern California and one of only a handful in the entire country dedicated solely to producing classical dramatic literature in the repertory tradition of rotating productions with a resident company of professional artists. Led by Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, A Noise Within has been hailed by critics as "adventurous," "compelling and current," "ingenuity at work," "a bona fide class act," and "what great theatre is all about." Founded 19 seasons ago, ANW quickly established itself as one of the region's key theatre companies, attracting fiercely loyal audiences and consistently high praise from the media for its productions and as a leading force in arts education. The company has presented more than 120 plays from the classics of world literature, each season producing works from authors ranging from Shakespeare and Molière to Ibsen, O'Neill and Shaw to Miller and Williams. ANW's consistent dedication to quality has been rewarded with more than two dozen Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards as well as numerous LA Weekly and Backstage Garland awards. A Noise Within's next chapter provides the long-awaited opportunity to sink deep and lasting roots when the company moves in 2011 from its long-time base in Glendale to a spectacular, permanent home in a Pasadena mixed-use development at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. The facility, hailed as an anchor in East Pasadena's arts growth, is designed to broaden A Noise Within's artistic possibilities, offers a greater scope of educational opportunities, meet ticket demand and allow the company to expand its role as a leader in the presentation and preservation of classical theatre.

Single Tickets are $46 (Friday and Saturday evenings, Sunday matinees); $42 (Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings, Saturday matinees); and $32 (previews). Groups (10 or more) are $25, or $30 on Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees; School Groups (10 or more) are $16, or $20 on Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. "Pay What You Can" tickets for the March 3 performance are sold at the box office only on a first-come, first-served basis based on availability, with a limit of two per person.

A NOISE WITHIN is located at 234 South Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91204. To purchase tickets or for a full season brochure, call 818-240-0910 x1 or visit www.ANoiseWithin.org.

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