GUILDFORD SHAKESPEARE CO. & YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE TEAM UP FOR UNMISSABLE THEATRE THIS SUMMER
Robert Duncan (Drop the Dead Donkey, Channel 4), Sara Crowe (Four Weddings and A Funeral) and Guildford Shakespeare Company Co Founder, Matt Pinches lead the cast for this incredible co-production, of The Comedy of Errors and Company of Rascals, taking Guildford by surprise from Thursday 10 to Saturday 26 July.
Both plays will be directed by Joanna Read, Director and Chief Executive of the Yvonne Arnaud. Prolific purveyors of powerful, local theatre, the companies have worked together over the years, but this is the first time they have embarked on a project of this scale and impact, shining a light on theatre-making in the town and celebrating the end of the Yvonne Arnaud’s yearlong major refurbishment in its 60th year.
1 CAST, 2 SHOWS, AT THE SAME TIME?! HOW?!!
The Comedy of Errors is William Shakespeare’s farcical tale of two sets of identical twins, full of slapstick and mistaken identity. It’s performed in tandem with a brand-new comedy by Phil Porter – A Company of Rascals – set in the same world, exploring the story behind the story of Shakespeare’s characters.
The plays are performed by one energetic cast, at the same time, cleverly intertwining the action, as the actors move from the Yvonne Arnaud’s main stage for The Comedy of Errors to locations in and around the theatre for A Company of Rascals and back again. Timing will be everything!
You can see just one play or buy tickets to both, to enjoy them at different times, fully immersing yourself in the bawdy backstreets of Ephesus, in this unmissable theatrical event.
THE COMEDY OF ERRORS
Strap yourself in for Shakespeare’s ultimate rollercoaster of comedy chaos, as two sets of identical twins arrive in the same town, on the same day, completely unaware of the other’s existence! Shakespeare’s shortest play is a glorious confection of confusion and slapstick comedy, as everyone, including the twins themselves, are caught up in the mayhem which ensues!
Audiences for BOTH plays will watch the first and last scenes of The Comedy of Errors together.
THE COMPANY OF RASCALS
A Company of Rascals takes its audience on a journey round the bawdy backstreets of Ephesus, a world of charlatans and bootleggers. Will visiting merchant Egeon, the only honest man in town, raise the ransom to buy his own freedom in a world where nobody is quite who they seem?
Written by Phil Porter whose mot recent work a new adaptation of The Government Inspector, is currently running at Chichester Festival Theatre. His other plays include The Boy with Two Hearts (National Theatre), Vice Versa and The Christmas Truce (RSC), and The Miser (West End, nominated for an Olivier award).
