***Press Release*** ***Friday 16 December 2005***
Outdoor Summer Shakespeare 2006 presents
“The Comedy of Errors”
11 February - 11 March 2006, directed by patrick graham
2006; Shakespeare meets rural New Zealand by way of Commedia dell'Arte. The result is a vibrant 'Kiwi' interpretation of
Shakespeare's rarely performed but charming and compelling comedy.
Set in a surreal land, culturally similar to New Zealand, the division between Ephesus and Syracuse will parody the
division felt between Auckland and the rest of New Zealand.
Synopsis; Originally set in the urban, bourgeois world of Ephesus, The Comedy of Errors offers to modern audiences the
knockabout farce, which centres on the two servant brothers, the Dromios. It is also a serio-comic reflection on the way
that social and commercial relationships break down once the concept of stable personal identity is undermined. As
Antipholus and Dromio from Syracuse wander bemused through a world where they know no one and everyone claims to know
them, mistaking them for their twin counterparts of Ephesus, Time itself seems to become unreliable.
Eventually the comic action around mistaken identities collides with the serious frame-story of the imminent execution
of Aegeon, father to the Antipholus brothers. It is the seemingly magical intervention of Aemilia, his long-lost wife,
which restores not only harmony in Ephesus, but also begins the process of mending family relationships. This mending
includes a repaired marriage for Antipholus of Ephesus and Adriana and a projected one for his brother from Syracuse and
Adriana’s sister, Luciana. After endless patiently endured beatings and abuse from the other characters, the Dromio
brothers cheerily exit the stage hand in hand, ‘like brother and brother’ indeed.
The result is a magical and rewarding experience that uses the imagery of water, birth, mermaids and storms to explore
loss, confusion, sudden and disconcerting prosperity, love at first sight, seeming betrayal from one’s nearest and
dearest and the joy of reunion. This production will give students the chance to see a rarely performed yet perfectly
crafted play which anticipates Shakespeare’s later achievements, but which has received increasing positive critical
recognition and which is to be enjoyed in its own right.
The Season; Saturday 11 February to Saturday 11 March 2006, University of Auckland Old Arts Quad (Below the Clock Tower)
Outdoor Summer Shakespeare; Is based at the University of Auckland boasts a proud and colourful history. From the humble
beginnings of 'Hamlet' in 1963 through to the large-scale, popular productions of recent years, the Outdoor Summer
Shakespeare at the University of Auckland is a veteran, the original, most established Summer Shakespeare tradition in
Auckland.
Actors of note;
Alexander Gandar as Antipholus of Ephesus (‘Hercules’, ‘Shortland Street’, ‘Her Majesty’, ‘Despair’)
Kirsty Hamilton as Dromio of Ephesus (Jade in the TV Series ‘The Strip’, Grace in the NZ Feature film ‘Saving Grace’,
‘Interrogation’)
Sarah Thompson as Luciana (Tiffany the Rich Bitch in ‘Living the Dream’)
The Director; patrick graham recently graduated from the University of Auckland with a Masters in Creative and
Performing Arts, First Class Honours. patrick also has a Bachelors in Performing and Screen Arts from Unitec (Writing)
and a Unitec Diploma of Film and Television Production. In addition to the above qualifications patrick has been
involved in a large number of theatrical productions whether it be acting, writing, directing, producing or all four at
once. Recent plays that patrick has directed include An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, iS, which he also wrote and
devised himself, The Jet of Blood by Antonin Artaud, and Woyzeck by Georg Buchner.
patrick has had a wealth of Shakespeare specific experience having been involved in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The
Tempest (Caliban), Anthony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, Henry V and King Lear. patrick
will bring his enthusiasm, his wealth of experience, his love for Shakespeare as well as an innovative directing style
together to ensure that the 2006 Outdoor Summer Shakespeare,
Bookings; Can be made through the Maidment Theatre by phoning (09) 308 2383 or by visiting their box office at 8 Alfred
St at The University of Auckland City Campus.
ENDS
or visit http://www.summershakespeare.ac.nz