Alumni: Comedy of Errors

the Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

Play Synopsis

Egeon, a merchant of Syracuse, is condemned to death in Ephesus for violating the ban against travel between the two rival cities. As he is led to his execution, he tells the Ephesian Duke, Solinus, that he has come to Syracuse in search of his wife and one of his twin sons, who were separated from him 26 years ago in a shipwreck. The other twin, who grew up with Egeon, is also traveling the world in search of the missing half of their family. (The twins, we learn, are identical, and each has an identical twin slave named Dromio.) The Duke is so moved by this story that he grants Egeon a day to raise the thousand-mark ransom that would be necessary to save his life.

Meanwhile, unknown to Egeon, his son Antipholus of Syracuse (and Antipholus' slave Dromio) is also visiting Ephesus--where Antipholus' missing twin, known as Antipholus of Ephesus, is a prosperous citizen of the city. Adriana, Antipholus of Ephesus' wife, mistakes Antipholus of Syracuse for her husband and drags him home for dinner, leaving Dromio of Syracuse to stand guard at the door and admit no one. Shortly thereafter, Antipholus of Ephesus (with his slave Dromio of Ephesus) returns home and is refused entry to his own house. Meanwhile, Antipholus of Syracuse has fallen in love with Luciana, Adriana's sister, who is appalled at the behavior of the man she thinks is her brother-in-law.

The confusion increases when a gold chain ordered by the Ephesian Antipholus is given to Antipholus of Syracuse. Antipholus of Ephesus refuses to pay for the chain (unsurprisingly, since he never received it) and is arrested for debt. His wife, seeing his strange behavior, decides he has gone mad and orders him bound and held in a cellar room. Meanwhile, Antipholus of Syracuse and his slave decide to flee the city, which they believe to be enchanted, as soon as possible--only to be menaced by Adriana and the debt officer. They seek refuge in a nearby abbey.

Adriana now begs the Duke to intervene and remove her "husband" from the abbey into her custody. Her real husband, meanwhile, has broken loose and now comes to the Duke and levels charges against his wife. The situation is finally resolved by the Abbess, Emilia, who brings out the set of twins and reveals herself to be Egeon's long-lost wife. Antipholus of Ephesus reconciles with Adriana; Egeon is pardoned by Duke Solinus and reunited with his Emilia, who is now known as the Abbess in Ephesus; Antipholus of Syracuse resumes his romantic pursuit of Luciana, and all ends happily with the two Dromios reunited.

NOTE: To make things a little more modern and to help viewers understand the context more easily, we have set this play in the 1980's.

THE CAST

I graduated from Liber Academy after six years of theater classes, which I never guessed I would enjoy, and now acting with friends is one of my favorite hobbies! When asked about participating in this production, my first reaction was, "I don't have time for that", but then I ended up with the lead role instead, so here we are! I grew a beard for this, I consented to wearing two polo shirts, and

I graduated from Liber Academy 8 years ago. Liber gave me my love for acting and for our great country! I am grateful to be able to be a part of another Shakespeare play!

Some favorite roles I have played with Liber is Falstaff (Merry Wives of Windsor) and Antonio (Merchant of Venice). Favorite roles with community theater is Don Lockwood (Singin' in the Rain) and Perchick (Fiddler on the Roof).

Peter (22, single) started doing Shakespeare with Liber at the ripe age of 14. Through the friends he met there he recently discovered a love for country dancing. He had no intention of participating in this until he was coerced by his brother Nathaniel. He's excited to perform for you, and he feels great satisfaction in the fact that his brother has had to grow the beard he never wanted.

Sam Callister is passionate about the stage, with roles in Shakespearean classics like Much Ado About Nothing and Love's Labour's Lost, as well as musicals such as Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and Singin' in the Rain.

She believes Shakespeare's works are truly inspired and is honored to be part of this production, dedicated to raising awareness and excitement for his timeless plays.

Adriana has been a fun character to create, all drama and vain ambitions. I hope you enjoy her as much as I have! As for myself, I gained a passion for acting and Shakespeare while taking the scholar classes at Liber. I have furthered my passion with ballet at Turning Pointe Ballet (they also offer a homeschool motion class). It has been so fun to progress with so many supportive people!

I am a Liber graduate. I have been in four Liber productions and was the student mentor for Much Ado About Nothing. I am attending Weber State University this fall. Acting with Liber Academy has made me the person I am today.

Samantha Petersen has long loved the stage, watching her family perform and then talking it herself. Her favorite roles have been Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing and The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance. She loves sharing a story with a cast and an audience and is thrilled to be back at it!

Nathan Petersen, Emilia's real-life husband, took 3 years of theatre in high school, specializing in improv. He is an aspiring musician. He is also a pro gamer and Sam can confirm this.

I've played many different roles. My favorites have been Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, Cosmo Brown in Singin' in the Rain, and Donkey in Shrek the musical. Being an actor is such an awesome experience. Every role is an opportunity to explore a different part of me and often there are surprises, especially when things go wrong. Then we get to adapt and make some awesome memories. When someone d

Esther is a graduate of Liber. Her last cheer in Shakespeare was "Liber is the giver of livers" and the cheer when she student mentored Shakespeare was "don't tip your trees". Esther is aware this has no actual info about her as a person, because she wrote it. :)

Deena Callister is a busy mom of five and was guilted by her oldest son into acting with him! And how grateful she is... for she has had a blast with her children and scholars she has mentored in the past! This is her first play.

I made my Liber Shakespeare debut as Feste in Twelfth Night in 2013 and last played Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew in 2016 with Classical Acting.

Since my time at Liber, I graduated from BYU-I and now teach K-12 Art at Liberty Hills Academy. It has been so fun to come back to the stage for Comedy of Errors. It wouldn't be without the support of my fabulous husband Joseph and my patient smiley d

Lydia has enjoyed acting at Liber Academy for seven years. That time amounted to acting in eleven plays, co-directing one production, and doing tech and stage crew twice. Lydia has enjoyed learning about acting and passing on her knowledge through student mentoring. She also enjoys last minute costume making and line memorizing that come with a production.

The Comedy of Errors has reminded her of

When I first came to Liber, I didn't want to do Shakespeare because I thought it would be nerdy. Turns out, it was... but I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought! Theater has really grown on me and has inspired me and become a big part of my life. My favorite role has been Benedick in Much Ado. I also enjoyed writing music to pieces of Twelfth Night last year for Classical Acting and playing the fo

I have taken two years of Shakespeare and one year of Classical Acting. I'm not a huge fan of acting, however acting has boosted my confidence both on and off the stage.

I have been in a few Shakespeare plays like Much Ado About Nothing and Taming of the Shrew. I have also been in musicals like Peter Pan, The Lion King, and The Wizard of Oz.

I've been a part of Liber for three years and have been a part of two Shakespeare productions. I played Kate in The Taming of the Shrew last year.

summer 2024

the Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

Play Synopsis

THE CAST