Southwest Shakespeare Company Kicks Off Its 16th Season With THE COMEDY OF ERRORS On 9/18

Southwest Shakespeare Company kicks off its 16th season with the opening of The Comedy of Errors on Sept. 18 in Mesa.

The Comedy of Errors is Shakespeare’s farcical onslaught of mistaken identities, fateful romance and family reunions. Not one but two sets of long-separated twins form the springboard to much confusion, slapstick, and surprise as a family that once was lost, but now is found in a strange and wonderful land! Set in 1900.

The Comedy of Errors is produced by Southwest Shakespeare Company, previewing September 17, 2009, and the show runs September 18-October 3, 2009, at the Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater, Mesa Arts Center, One East Main Street, Mesa (Center and Main Street; half-mile east of Country Club Drive).  Performances are Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with additional performances / matinees: Sun, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m.; Sat, Oct 3 at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices: Adults - $33.50; Seniors/Students w/ID - $25; Children - $12.50; Matinees - $25; Student Rush with ID - $12.50. Call the Box Office at 480-644-6500.  Five-Show Subscriptions, Three-Show “Flex” Series Premium, and Upper “Bargain” Balcony Series Subscriptions are available from the Box Office.  Group rates at 480-641-7039.

Talkbacks are scheduled for Sept 18, 19, 26, and Oct 1, after the performances.

One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays (1592-1594), Comedy is one of his shortest as well. Based on two plays by Plautus, the “Menaechmi” and the “Amphitruo”, it also served as the basis for a 1938 Rodgers and Hart musical “The Boys from Syracuse.”

Director Jared Sakren says, "Be prepared to laugh so hard that it hurts. This production promises to be a chuckle-fest with the funniest actors who have ever worked for this company and some new talent that are real finds.  Mistaken-identities, slapstick combat, nonstop action, and zany farce, all make this a perfect show for those who love Shakespeare as well as those just being introduced to him."

Additional Info: Flachmann Seminar, Saturday, September 19, 2009, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at First United Methodist Church, 15 E. First Ave. Mesa. Cost is $50 per person, including lunch & the evening’s show. Season Subscribers attend free ($10 for lunch). Reservations required. To reserve, contact Jennifer at 602-741-1996 or jruddle@swshakespeare.org.

Educators: Contact Susan Alston at 480-830-8673 or salston@swshakespeare.org to reserve space at Student Matinees. For in-classroom workshops, previews and post-show discussions, contact Education Outreach Director Dawn Tucker at 610-301-2233 or education@swshakespeare.org.

Southwest Shakespeare Company (SSC) is kicking off its 16th season. SSC was co-founded in 1994 by two educators and actors, Kevin Dressler and Randy Messersmith. The 2005-06 season opened at the new Mesa Arts Center (MAC), located in downtown Mesa. Under Jared Sakren’s leadership as artistic director, SSC expanded its season and performed a total of five shows in two of its four theaters, the 550-seat Virginia G. Piper Repertory Theater and the 99-seat Anita Cox Farnsworth Studio Theater. SSC mounted a six show season in 2006-07, performing in yet a third theater at the “MAC,” the Nesbitt/Elliott Playhouse Theater. SSC serves to create professional theatrical productions, which will entertain, educate, inspire and elevate the general public and educational communities of Arizona, designed to make classical literature understandable and appreciated by all patrons.

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