8 - 30 August 2020

Welcome...The Comedy of Errors is one of only a tiny handful of live theatre performances you can see in the UK this summer. Conception to first night has taken us just two weeks.

We did it because we know you love this wonderful space. But we also care deeply about the future of those working in our industry – the actors, stage managers, designers and technicians for whom, without shows, there can be no livelihood. We don’t want the UK’s theatres to stay closed, we think that, where possible, we should open to serve our communities and save jobs.

You can read about how to help us both save and secure Storyhouse and Grosvenor Park for generations to come at storyhouse.com, in the meantime enjoy this stripped back and secure slice of summer. Storyhouse is open, come and visit us!

Thank you so much for playing such a key part in our future.

Andrew BentleyChief Executive,Storyhouse

Alex CliftonArtistic Director,Storyhouse

Directed byAlex Clifton

Designed by Jessica Curtis

Musical direction by Jessica Dives

Wardrobe SupervisorTherese Denis

Production VolunteerEllen Cammack

Danielle Bird Antipholus of Ephesus

Nichole Bird Antipholus of Syracuse

Lowri Izzard Dromio of Ephesus

Mari Izzard Dromio of Syracuse

Danielle Henry Adriana Jessica Dives Duke / Balthazar / Barmaid / Officer Anton Cross Luciana / Officer Simeon Truby Egeon / Merchant Angelo / Pinch

Cast

In the rehearsal zoom

This is a new way of making theatre. Everything is different. How we work, where we work, when we work... the only thing that’s remain unchanged, is why we work.

The centre holds.

We are here to share a story. To gather together, in joy, and experience the delight of emotions felt in unison. That simple, shared experience remains unaltered and unrefined.

But everything else is different. Actors would normally rehearse together, eat together, drink together, get changed together, play together. Now we rehearse online, meet only at distance - and only after we’ve had ourselves tested and our temperatures checked. A show we would normally spend four weeks preparing, we stage in two days. Our characters are not allowed to stand face-to-face within two metres of each other for more than a matter of moments; we can only sing away from each other. An audience we

would normally treat as members of our shared sports team (run amongst them, jump on them, share food with them) we must now stand apart from at three metres minimum.

Nevertheless, we are so, so happy to be here - to gather together around this story.

The Ephesus of The Comedy of Errors is exactly where we want to meet you. It’s a town full of clowns, stuck in the middle of a play written by an arrogant young writer, showing off and asserting his own nascent genius. It’s a play commissioned by a bunch of lawyers for their Christmas party, first staged in Christmas 1594 at the Grays Inn as part of the festivities. It was written for a bunch of very clever, very drunk people wanting an escape and a party... sounds perfect!

Kick back and enjoy a short holiday from anything outside of our sunny Ephesus. Alex Clifton, Director

CastDanielle Bird Antipholus of Ephesus Previously at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre: A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Cyrano de Bergerac, Othello (2013), The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth (2014)

Theatre credits include: Aladdin (Theatre Royal,

Wakefield); The Hypocrite (Royal Shakespeare Company / Hull Truck); Macbeth (Shakespeares Globe); Notmoses (Magnet Arts Theatre); The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Birmingham REP); Alice’s Adventures Underground (Les Enfants Terribles The Vaults); Father Christmas and The Icicle Bicycle (Oxford Playhouse); Prince and The Pauper (Unicorn Theatre); Colin Hoult’s Real Horror show (Leicester Square Theatre); You Me Bum Bum Train (YMBBT Productions); SLICK (National Youth Theatre); The Democratic Set (Wales Millennium Centre); Unity Festival (Wales Millennium Centre); As You Like It (Principal Theatre Company); Shakespeare Showcase (Principal Theatre Company).

Lowri Izzard Dromio of Ephesus Lowi studied at RADA.

Theatre credits include: Lord of the Flies (Sherman Theatre and Theatr Clwyd); Votes for Women (New Vic Theatre); I Capture The Castle (Watford Palace / Bolton Octagon / Oxford

Playhouse); The Tempest (Orange Tree Theatre); Much Ado About Nothing (The Faction).

Television and film credits include: Hidden/Craith, A Proper Little Family; Tick Tock

Radio credits include: Alice’s Wonderland; Dombey and Son

Nichole Bird Antipholus of Syracuse Nichole trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.

Theatre credits includes: The Prince and The Pauper (New Vic Theatre / The Unicorn), The Dutch Lady,

Look About You, The Wits (The Globe’s Read Not Dead), Unmythable (Out of Chaos), The Rakes Progress (Complicité / DNO), Olivier nominated Alice’s Adventures Underground (Waterloo Vaults /Les Enfant Terribles), Love’s Victory (Urania Theatre), Peter Pan, Cinderella (Winchester Theatre Royal), James and the Giant Peach (Sell a Door/International Tour), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Immersion Theatre), After the Blue (Jermyn Street Theatre), A Christmas Carol...More or Less (Bridge House Theatre), The Woman Before (Soho Theatre), Arden of Faversham (Rose Theatre), The Real Horror Show (Leicester Square Theatre), Death of a Salesman (TNT/European Tour) You Me Bum Bum Train.

Film and Television Credits include; Now You See Me 2 (Lionsgate), A Running Jump by Mike Leigh (Thin Man Films), The Double Life of Morton Coyle, Holby City, Crimewatch (BBC), The Tree Fairy (Film4), The Wives Did It (Discovery ID), Zoe (Ridley Scott Productions), Mousie (Kewhaven Picture), Demons (James Morrison Music Video), What’s Jamie Up To?, Untold Stories (Media Trust).

Nichole is part of the Live Canon Ensemble, delivering poetry at Theatres, festivals and online including audio anthology The Empty Horizon. She also performs with all female Circus Theatre company Circo Rum BaBa. She is delighted to be back in Chester.

Mari Izzard Dromio of Syracuse Mari trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

Theatre credits include: Lord of the Flies (Sherman Theatre and Theatr Clwyd); Pride & Prejudice (Regent’s Park

Open Air Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC); My Mate Pete (Old Red Lion); Mametz (National Theatre Wales); Skyhawk (Clwyd Theatr Cymru); Twelfth Night (Roverfront Theatre); Blister (RWCMD / Paines Plough); Fe Ddaw’r Byd I Ben (RWCMD / Sherman Theatre).

Television and film credits include: Gwaith/Cartref; Ctrl+Alt_Delet; Gadael Sneggl

Radio credits include: Walk to Remember

Danielle Henry Adriana Previously at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre: As You Like It, Stig Of The Dump, Two Gentlemen of Verona (2016) Romeo & Juliet; Wind & The Willows; Merry Wives of Windsor (2015).

Theatre credits include: My Brilliant Friend (National Theatre); Hidden (Manchester Camerata); A Christmas Carol (RSC); Queens Of The Coal Age (Royal Exchange Manchester & New Vic); Playhouse Creatures; Votes For Women (New Vic); The Hypocrite (RSC); Mighty Atoms (Hull Truck Theatre); Miss Julie (Et Cetera Theatre); B!RTH, Closer, Iron (Royal Exchange Manchester); Earl of Mo Bay (Nottingham Playhouse); Up Against the Wall (Bolton Octagon); Once Upon a Time in Wigan (Riverside Studios/Tour); Blue (Nottingham Arts Theatre); Andrew’s Angry Words (M6 Theatre Company); Little Shop of Horrors (Zoo Nation). Film and Television credits include: Soul Boy (Ipso Facto); Emmerdale; Diamond Geezer (ITV); No Offence; Courtroom; Leah’s Trial (Channel 4); Moving On; Katy; Broken; Lost Christmas; Doctors; Candy Cabs; Casualty; Survivors; Torchwood; Paradox; The Message (BBC). Radio credits include: The Will; The Last Flag; Grand Designs Of The Third Kind; Brief Lives; The Iron Curtain; Rooms; The Joey; Stone; Look Sharp; Pattie’s Patties, Mary Shane; How to remember the dead; The Autobiography of a Nobody; Lost in Liverpool and Westway (BBC Radio 4).

Jessica Dives Duke / Balthazar Barmaid / Officer Jessica is the production’s Musical Director. Jessica has a BA from Royal Holloway and trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Previously at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre: Twelfth Night, Henry V, The Borrowers (2019).

Theatre credits include: Red Riding Hood (Liverpool Everyman); The Lost Ones (The Bush Theatre and TRSE); Guess How Much I Love You (Selladoor Worldwide); Hamlet (Young Shakespeare Company); Newsrevue (Canal Cafe Theatre). Jessica is also an accomplished Singer and Musician, performing with various vintage acts and bands across the UK.

Anton Cross Luciana / Officer Anton studied at Lamda. Previously at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre: The Secret Seven (2017) Stig of the Dump, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, As You Like It (2016)

Theatre credits include: Romeo, Romeo And Juliet (The Orange Tree Theatre); Celebinus, Tamburlaine (RSC); Caphus, Timon Of Athens (RSC); Boy, Good Dog (Tiata Fahodzi); Frank, No Villain (Old Red Lion); Robin, Stoney Fruit (Fine Mess Theatre); Rehearsed Reading, Ethan, Elizabeth (High Tide Theatre Festival); John Blanke, The Low Road (Lamda); Louise Hill, Young Marlow, She Stoops To Conquer (Lamda); Gordon, Rent, The Musical (Lamda); Earl Of Worcester, Henry V, Part I (Lamda); Olly, The English Game (Lamda); Aaron, The Moor, Titus Andronicus (Lamda); Sorin, The Seagull (Lamda); You Are Me The Occupied Times, Ensemble, Emperor And Galilean (Royal National Theatre).

Simeon Truby Egeon Merchant Angelo Pinch Previously at Storyhouse: A Little Night Music, The Crucible

Simeon trained at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.Theatre credits include: Dr Dillamond/1st cover Wizard in Wicked (Apollo Victoria) One Love – The Bob Marley Musical, Pinocchio, The Red Balloon (Birmingham Rep); Warhorse - International Tour (National Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Adelphi Theatre, West End); Merry Wives of Windsor, The Mouse and His Child (RSC); To Kill a Mockingbird, Antony & Cleopatra, As You Like It, Bring me Sunshine (Manchester Royal Exchange); The Red Balloon (The National Theatre), Olivier; Blood Brothers, Chess (UK Tour); Little Shop of Horrors, Rutherford & Son, The Duchess of Malfi (Salisbury Playhouse); Sweeney Todd, Love Story (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Fulstow Boys, Grow Up Grandad (Steelworks Theatre Co); The Pitman Painters, And a Nightingale Sang, The Glee Club (New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyne); Dick Whittington, Sleeping Beauty, Mother Goose, The Pitman Painters, Kes, Dick Barton, The Ladykillers (Oldham Coliseum); The Crucible, My Family & Other Animals, Parlour Song (York Theatre Royal); A Midsummer Night’s

Dream, Summer Lightning, A Chorus of Disapproval, A Christmas Carol, Our Country’s Good, The Recruiting Officer, Cinderella, The Hired Man, The Wizard of Oz, The Snow Queen, Romeo and Juliet and Charley’s Aunt (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick); Romeo & Juliet, David Copperfield, The Merchant of Venice, A Christmas Carol, Oh What a Lovely War, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, 8 Miles High, Two, The Wizard of Oz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kes: The Musical (Bolton Octagon); Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, The Man with Two Gaffers (Northern Broadsides); Much Ado About Nothing, Schweyk in the Second World War (Library Theatre, Manchester); Jerusalem (West Yorkshire Playhouse). Television and film credits include: Hollyoaks, Emmerdale, The Street, The Royal, Island at War, A Touch of Frost: Fit to Bust, Coronation Street, Boom Boom Clap, Love Thy Neighbour.

Radio: Dead Pan, The Citadel – Series 1 & 2, Banged Up (BBC Radio 4)

As Musical Director/Composer: The Snow Queen, Cinderella, Habeus Corpus (Theatre by the Lake); The Pitman Painters, Kes (Oldham Coliseum); The Man with Two Gaffers (Northern Broadsides)

Alongside his wife they run their own Theatre School, Urban Stage School of Performing Arts, in Manchester.

Alex Clifton Director Alex is Artistic Director of Storyhouse and co-founded Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre. He’s a Cestrian, and a proud alumnus of Christleton High School and the Chester Gateway Youth Theatre. After graduating with a first-class degree in English from Oxford, Alex worked as Assistant Director for The National Theatre. He then became Resident Director at English National Opera for two years, assisting on major international productions and directing new operas with young offenders, local youth groups and with professional companies touring London primary schools. Alex left this to run his own theatre company, touring new plays across rural and disadvantaged communities out of the back of a decommissioned ambulance. For seven years, Alex was a senior acting teacher at RADA, teaching and directing actors in training. This led to a commission to write a book on acting for Bloomsbury, The Actor’s Workbook, which was published in 2016. He’s a Fellow of the Institute of Higher Education and has been heavily involved in community and education projects throughout his career, making plays with children in Soweto, teenagers at Theresienstadt concentration camp, parent asylum- seekers in Surrey and elderly immigrant women in Hackney. Theatre directing credits For Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre and Storyhouse: The Wizard of Oz, The Tempest, A Little Night Music (2018), The Beggar’s Opera, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Secret Seven (2017); The Two Gentleman of Verona (2016); Romeo & Juliet, The Wind in the Willows (2015); Macbeth, The Comedy of Errors (2014); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello (2013); Twelfth Night (2012); Merlin and the Woods of Time (2011); Hercules (2010)

Jessica Curtis Designer Jess trained on the Motley Theatre Design Course. She was nominated for the UK award for design in 2018. For Storyhouse and Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello, Cyrano de Bergerac (2013) The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, The Secret Garden (2014) Merry Wives of Windsor, The Wind in the Willows, Romeo and Juliet (2015) The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Stig of the Dump, As You like It (2016) Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar (2017), The Beggar’s Opera (2017) A Little Night Music, The Crucible (2018)

Recent Work Includes: Genesis Inc. (Hampstead Theatre) Loosing Venice (The Orange Tree Theatre) Uncle Vanya (The Almeida) Villette, Dangerous Corner (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Kiss Me Quickstep, Haunting Julia (The Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch) One For The Road, Glass Cage, Follies (Royal And Derngate, Northampton), The Holy Rosenbergs (National Theatre), Hotel Cerise (Theatre Royal, Stratford East) Another Door Closed (Theatre Royal Bath), Endgame (Liverpool Everyman), Dangerous Corner (West Yorkshire Playhouse And West End), Frankenstein (Frantic Assembly, Northampton), Burial At Thebes (Nottingham Playhouse/Barbican/Us Tour) And Rhapsody, Fantasy (Royal Ballet At The Royal Opera House).

Creative Team

EXECUTIVEAndrew BentleyChief Executive

Alex Clifton Artistic Director

Ros Thomas Head of Finance

Laura AndertonIT Support Administrator

Emmeline CoppockHR Manager (Maternity Cover)

Emma HuttHR Manager (Maternity Leave)

Nicola JacksonHR Administrator

Chelsie JonesFinance Assistant

Jade PalmerExecutive Assistant

Amy Talbot Payroll & Finance Administrator BOARD OF TRUSTEESProfessor Allan Owens Amy JonesErik BoekesteijnGeoff CliftonJane HyndmanKatrina Kerr Louise Towers Peter Mearns (Chair) Rio Matchett Sue Leech (Vice-Chair) DEVELOPMENTKate Mylchreest Head of Development

Emma WallaceLearning & Development Assistant SALES & MARKETINGJen ChapmanHead of Sales & Marketing

Alex AtkinsonGroup Sales Officer

Nancy DaviesMarketing & PR Manager

Ellie FranklinDigital Content Officer

Fiona Yates-DuttonSales Administrator

PROGRAMMINGSam BainSenior Programme Manager

Nicky BeaumontFilm & Digital Programme Manager

Eleanor BrickProgramme Manager

Kim CurzonYouth Projects Officer

Nicola HaighCommunities Manager

Hayley Lindley-ThornhillYouth Projects Manager

Si PooleSenior Lead in Cultural Education & Research

Alix RawlinsonYouth Projects Coordinator

Rhianne StubbsCreative Learning Practitioner

Georgina WestCommunities Manager

Helen RedcliffeAssociate Producer PRODUCTIONNick Ashcroft Senior Technician (Lighting)

Tommy BiglinDeputy Technical Manager

Ryan BirdTechnician

Sarah ClarkeTechnician

Cath CullinaneTechnician

Therese DenisWardrobe

Lee HopkinsTechnician

Liam O’NeillTechnician

Andrew PattersonTechnical Manager

Oliver PriceLighting Programmer/ Technician

James RobertsSenior Technician (Sound and AV)

Alec StokesTechnician

Nathan StormTechnician

Andrea TynanTechnician

Matthew WillarsTechnician

OPERATIONSOliver HillHead of Operations

Ian AndersonService Manager

Matthew ByrneHousekeeper

Nassera ChaalaneAssistant Restaurant Manager (Maternity Leave)

Donna CollingsCustomer Service Operations Manager

Matthew CookeSecurity Steward

Matt CowellChef de Partie

Dimitar DurchovChef de Partie

Sebastian DurkoCommis Chef

Ian Fawson Service Manager

Hannah Fisher Service Supervisor

Alison FrancisHousekeeper

Ana GjikopulliService Supervisor

Joel HodgkinsonHousekeeper

Jez HoulbrookHead Chef

Mark HigginsService Manager

Nathan HoulbrookKitchen Porter

Anna JasinskaService Manager

Emily JonesSecurity Manager

Elliott MinshullService Supervisor

James RobinsonKitchen Porter

Taylor SandersonHousekeeper

David SpeedKitchen/Service Assistant

Noel TeggVenue Manager

Sean ThomasKitchen Porter

Kevin ThompsonHousekeeper

Michael WilliamsKitchen Porter

Stephen WildeHousekeeper

Sharon WilsonHead Housekeeper SERVICE ASSISTANTSIsaac BrennanJoshua BrowneLuke BushJack DockingAlex GoldsmithMaeve Haggerty KavanaghElisa IppolitoBillie-Joe KellyDenise OxtonKatherine Rios MoncayoAiden SmithNicky WoodEmily Yeardsley-Price Grace Lindsay-AustinMark ReedClaire ProsserAndrew HoughtonMax HutchinsonCharis HaydenEmma HallSpencer DrummondJake StewartTomaz van der MerweMaria HughesDavid BartleyIwona ToniaRobert Brookes LIBRARY TEAMLinda TysonLibrary Team Leader

John CookeDavid FowlerKatie GillilandCarol HansonAdam Haycocks Jane Hockenhull Nikki JennerwayNaomi KellyRosie MarubbiLouise NesbittClaire OxleyLucy PeakeCari RobertsJanet Salisbury Jo ShepherdMaike SchoeppnerAnnette StarmerJenny StokesIsabel Fielding-Walliss

For Storyhouse

Storyhouse partners, funders and corporate sponsors:

THANK YOU!The amazing Storyhouse team of volunteers for their unflinching dedication.

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nWe are one of over 500 registered charities that run theatres. Two thirds of them expect to be out of business by Christmas. And it’s easy to see why as putting productions on stage is proving impossible for many. Unless something changes soon, Storyhouse will be similarly be at risk of closure.

In June we announced the postponement of Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, our charity’s biggest project and which accounts for one fifth of our total ticket turnover for the year. Undaunted, we re-opened Storyhouse on 4 July – the country’s first theatre, cinema and library to do so, and have been operating safely since. We’ve created a new drive-in cinema and re-opened our open-air cinema Moonlight Flicks as well. Our new membership programme, Storyhouse Card, has seen nearly 4,000 flock to the cause.

We’ve now built Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre again and are delighted to present The Comedy of Errors this August, because we think it’s time for theatres to re-open to serve their communities wherever they can.

We’re not safe, in fact a long way from it, the fight to save Storyhouse has only just begun. We’re operating at 20% of capacity.

As a charity, we take no profit: every £1 we earn is spent on making a difference in our community. We earn over three quarters of our income from trading and it costs over £200k a month to keep Storyhouse open. We’re not downhearted, we’ve had great help so far and we’ve got some wonderful friends...

It’s time for the next chapter of our story. Storyhouse is needed more than ever – as a beacon of hope, to cheer us up and for the certain return of good times.

Storyhouse is in a Fight for Survival

We’ve launched the Storyhouse Card, packed full of benefits for members. Streaming membership with no commitment is just £4 per month. It will help us get back on the road right now, and will give you some really super privileges too.

Find out more at storyhouse.com/NewStoryCampaign

Thank you for buying a ticket for The Comedy of Errors, this truly does make a difference. You can also join us at our socially distanced cinemas or buy a Gift Voucher for friends or family. Look out for more Storyhouse shows coming soon.

A small regular monthly donation is the easiest way to support us, it’s a simple, easily managed process.

If you’d ever thought about joining our amazing army of volunteers, now is the moment. We need you more ever.

New Story Campaign

...our sleeves are rolled up and we’re ready for the challenge. There are four ways you can help us now. Please do.