PRELIMINARY DIRECTOR'S NOTES & THOUGHTS
A Looney Tunes-inspired, 1980's influenced take on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.
WHAT IS THIS PLAY ABOUT?
At its core, The Comedy of Errors is about IDENTITY, REUNION, and the chaos of MISTAKEN IDENTITY. It follows 2 SETS of IDENTICAL TWINS—Antipholus of Syracuse and Ephesus, and their twin servants, the Dromios—separated at birth. When fate brings them to the same city, misunderstandings erupt like popcorn in a microwave.
But underneath the gags, this is a story about FAMILY—reunited against all odds, and the SEARCH OF SELF in a disorienting world.
WHAT’S THE STORY AND HOW MIGHT WE TELL IT TODAY?
We’re setting this in a neon colored, cartoonish version of the 1980s—think Looney Tunes meets 80’s TV, with some Ghostbusters gadgets, big hair, and synth pulses. The city of Ephesus becomes a stylized, zany metro world that’s half mall, half arcade, and all chaos –– maybe even like we’re inside a giant pinball machine.
To keep the energy electric:
- Ensemble Foley Artists will create live, cartoon sound effects—boings, zips, wacky bonks, exaggerated footsteps, and slide whistles.
- Mini-trampolines & gym mats will be incorporated for live, safe pratfalls, flips, and cartoonish exits—our Dromios should feel indestructible.
- Quick-change costume tricks may help us create rapid, confusing entrances that make the twin mix-ups even more dizzying.
We’ll lean into “bit-style” staging, mirroring the rhythm of animated shorts, using bold physicality, loud SFX, and musical cues to guide the action. NOTE: This production will be geared for younger, teen, and/or modern audiences (High School Shakespeare Competition friendly!) who are used to visual and kinetic storytelling.
IMPORTANT THEMES & MOTIFS
- Mistaken Identity/The Fragility of Perception: No one knows who anyone really is—just like how in Looney Tunes, reality is elastic, and identity is often defined by costume and timing.
- Reunion and Belonging: After all the chaos, the family is reknit—timeless and universal.
- Order vs. Chaos: The city is a maze of legal traps, emotional storms, and clownish confusion until clarity arrives in the final act.
- Doubling/Duality: We’ll reflect this visually (mirrored choreography, twin costumes), aurally (dual Foley cues), and spatially (split-stage gags, classic chases).
WHY THIS PLAY, AND WHY NOW –– IN 2025?
Because we live in an era of information overload, glitchy online identities, and constant confusion over what’s real and what’s not. Like the twins, we often feel disoriented—swiping through versions of ourselves, meeting strangers who act like they know us.
Plus, in today’s noise and spin of modern life, laughter is a necessity and more vital than ever, and, funnily enough, Shakespeare knew that better than anyone. With today’s constant threat of AI takeover, deepfakes, and digital avatars –– Mistaken identity has never been more relevant.
Our TDAA fall production of The Comedy of Errors will strive to be a kinetic explosion and celebration of nostalgia, joy, and Shakespeare’s smarts. It’s a show where classical language, inspired by Commedia de’Arte, dances with the visual comedy of Chuck Jones; and where every door is a portal to another mix-up. It wants to be loud, brash, colorful, fast, and most of all –– FUNNY. It should also be full of heart. And yes, it should wrap up with a very happy ending. Let’s turn this 16th-century farce into a gloriously goofy, high-octane, onstage cartoon that speaks to our 2025 audience through laughter, chaos, and connection.