Elijah Morton and Reid Miller in “The Comedy of Errors" at Augustana College -- November 14 through 17. (photo by Allison McPeak)
Thursday, November 14, through Sunday, November 17
Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
Opening its 2024-25 season of mainstage productions in the Brunner Theatre Center, Rock Island Augustana College will produce one of William Shakespeare's freshest and funniest titles in its November 14 through 17 presentation of The Comedy of Errors, a work that esteemed literary critic Harold Bloom said “reveals Shakespeare's magnificence at the art of comedy” and demonstrated “mastery in action, incipient character, and stagecraft.”
Set in the Greek city of Ephesus, The Comedy of Errors tells the tale of two sets of identical twins who 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-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and even demonic possession.
One of Shakespeare's earliest plays, it is also his shortest and one of his most farcical works, with much of the humor coming from slapstick, puns, and wordplay. The Comedy of Errors is also one of only two Shakespearean plays (the other being The Tempest) to observe the Aristotelian principle of unity of time in that the events of a play should occur over 24 hours. Shakespeare's work has been adapted for opera, stage, screen, and musical theatre numerous times worldwide, and in the centuries following its premiere, the play's title has entered the popular English lexicon as an idiom for “an event or series of events made ridiculous by the number of errors that were made throughout.”
Directing The Comedy of Errors is Augustana's longtime Professor of Theatre Arts and department Co-Chair Jeff Coussens, whose recent productions for the college have included Our Country's Good, Tartuffe, and The 39 Steps. Nat Hansen serves as Coussens' stage manager, and with Katie Sanders acting as assistant director, additional members of the creative team include: assistant stage managers Haley Chellberg and Alyson Garcia; technical director, scenic designer, and lighting advisor Mike Turczynski; costume designer Becki Arnold; sound designer Caley Larkin; lighting designer Sean Haloran; dressers Max Montgomery and Vivian Rodriguez; light-board operator Molly McArdle; sound-board operator Emma Miller; projection designer, assistant scenic designer, and film-aspect head Paige Whitney; prop master Sarah Villani; assistant prop master Will McIver; assistant associate costume designer Sarah Thul; makeup designer Bailey Hacker; assistant and associate sound designer Chris Celius; assistant and associate lighting designer Ande Poffenberger; and dramaturg Kerah Hipes.
The centers of Comedy of Errors' mistaken-identity plot, Dromio of Ephasus and Dromio of Syracuse are respectively played by Elijah Morten and Dash Crowe, while Reid Miller and Noah Johnson respectively portray Antipholus of Ephasus and Antipholus of Syracuse. Meanwhile, a full 18 additional student talents complete Coussens' ensemble: Victoria Dennison; Kallik Ewan; Anya Giordano; Abigal Kimber; Lily Kirvan; Samuel Kissi-Baah; Leo Kopplin; Caspian MacDowell; Abby Malina; Alex Morales; Joshua Nelson; Ulan Okai; Sora Richter; Addon Rodgers; Audrey Siblik; Sarah Thul; Ruby Tolnai; and Sidney Underwood.
The Comedy of Errors will be staged in Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center from November 14 through 17, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Admission is $10-15, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 and visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.
