Monday, April 25, 2011

Comedy of Errors

1. Describe the Theater, sets, and costumes

            Drayton Hall is a small theatre that seats about four hundred people.  The stage is a proscenium set up with a small apron at the front of the stage.  The stage features four sets of legs that lead to the backstage area.  However, for this particular show they flew all the wings out and there were just flats that made up the edges of the stage.  There looked to be five different flats, there were two on either side to line the backstage area and one that was in the upstage back panel of the stage.  The sets were of different places that made up the town of Ephesus.  One flat served as the home of Antipholus, another the jail, another the church, another the brothel, and another a restaurant.  

                The costumes that the actors wore were of a more modern time period but were very exaggerated and whimsical.  The outfits featured bright unrealistic colors and seemly goofy features.  The twin brothers of both sets were dressed exactly alike to keep clear who was playing who and that was rather helpful.  All of the colors and pieces that the characters wore were very comical in the grand scheme of the story.  

2. In what period does this play take place? Who is the author? What period did the play write live?

The play was written by William Shakespeare, who lived from 1564 to 1616.  He was an English poet that is thought to be one of the greatest writers of the English language.  This play that he wrote is one of his earliest and one of his shortest and most farcical comedies.  The play itself holds references to the wars of succession which would fit any date from 1589 to 1595 but there is not specific on the year that this story is meant to have taken place.  However, the interpretation that the USC Theatre created had many more recent references and could have been set in a more present day although they still used the traditional script. 

3. Discuss the plot

                 The plot focused on two sets of brothers that were separated at a young age during a storm in which their father took two of the children and their mother the other two.  One set of twins were purchased to be slaves for the biological sons of the parents so each in turn had one of each set.   The two that were left with the father in Syracuse went on a quest to find their brothers.  Throughout the story there are numerous mix ups where the brothers think that they are addressing their respective pair but being twin s they cannot distinguish that they are in fact speaking to brother of the other pair.  Because of all the confusion the brothers have many mix-ups.   The play concludes with all of the brothers coming together and recounting all of the mistakes that were mad throughout the day.   

No comments:

Post a Comment