By LILLIAN GLAROS
Shakespeare in the Parks is bringing “The Comedy of Errors” to venues in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties this summer. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s (MNCPPC) Arts and Cultural Heritage Division sponsors the program.
This comedy by William Shakespeare revolves around two sets of twins and the hilarity that ensues when they are mistaken for each other. Randy Snight, artistic director of Shakespeare In the Parks, underscored the play’s lighthearted confusion: “It all just becomes a big case of mistaken identity,” he said.
Lilly Birchfield, who plays Angelo, a goldsmith, said that the case of mistaken identity would be easy to sort out with today’s technology. “It’s the type of plot that is nowadays just so laughable and silly of everyone mistaking each other for different people,” she said.
Snight said he chose “The Comedy of Errors” for this summer’s play because it offers an escape.
“I think when you look at these characters and the things that they are going through, you get this great cathartic moment of, well, thank goodness it’s not me, and I can laugh with these people and the situations they find themselves in,” he said.
Nicole Ruthmarie plays a number of characters, including the abbess (head of the nunnery). Like Snight, she appreciates the play’s comedic value and also sees it as a source of escapism.
“In a time where it always feels like the sky is falling … it’s nice to have this moment of laughter and this moment of levity that kind of takes your attention away for just a little bit,” she said.
MNCPPC launched Shakespeare In the Parks in 2013. Megan Merchant, an art specialist with the Arts and Cultural Heritage Division, is in charge of the program. Merchant said that the program aims to make Shakespearean theater accessible to a broad audience. Free admission is a key factor.
“I think because the performances are free, the audience really wants to be there,” Snight said. “There is no moment where the audience has to justify their ticket price.”
Many of the performances are outside, in keeping with Shakespeare’s theater, The Globe.
Performances run through July 6. On June 24, the play will be produced at Montpelier Grounds in Laurel and on June 26 at the David C. Driskell Community Park in Hyattsville. Both of those performances are at 7:30 p.m. For more information about other show times and locations, go to https://www.pgparks.com/event_list/shakespeare-in-the-parks-the-comedy-of-errors.
