The Emerald Pig Theatrical Society is putting on the Shakespearean play, The Comedy of Errors, for this years Bard on the Bandstand.
Directed by Jacqueline Ainsworth, this years Bard is circus themed and tells the tale of two sets of twins who are unaware of the other’s existence and find themselves in the same town. Confusion soon ensues with the mistaken identities that soon ends with love and redemption.
Dovreshin MacRae from Vancouver plays the part of Adrian, the husband of the twin who lives in Nanaimo.
“So she is the one who lives in the town where the play is set and she’s been acting really strangely and I suspect her of running around and seeing other people behind my back,” said MacRae.
“And then her twin comes along unbeknownst to me and starts acting even more strangely and it makes me very very confused,” he continued.
This is the first first full-length Shakespeare play for the Vancouver actor. He tried out for a part after his performance in Emerald Pigs’s production of The Three Musketeers.
When he landed the role of Adrian his first thoughts were, “there are so many words.”
“My rule of thumb for memorizing the lines was if it sounded right it was probably wrong,” he said.
One of the most difficult aspects of his role is that his lines have all been written from the perspective of a 16th Century female.
“So being able to translate that into a male persona in the 21st Century is sometimes a little challenging,” MacRae said.
The production has been slightly modified so the female roles are being played by men and the male roles by females.
In the original there is two twin brothers and two male manservant’s to tend to them and in this version it’s two twin sisters and two female manservant’s to tend to them.
The production was also made to be more relevant to B.C. by substituting the original towns in the play with Nanaimo and Vancouver.
Simon Challenger plays the part of Aegeon, the father of Angelica of Vancouver and Angelica of Nanaimo.
His first play with Bard on the Bandstand was in 2007 and has been on stage in every show since except for one year when he was assistant director.
“It’s wonderful. I can’t get enough. I love Shakespeare. I just love the language,” said the veteran actor.
This is his second time playing the part of Aegeon. He played Aegeon when the theatrical group performed The Comedy of Errors in 2011.
The first time he played the role it was set in 1930’s gangster-style.
“I delivered the story in a much flatter way. The director at the time wanted me to do it almost in a monotone,” said Challenger.
This time around, said Challenger, he gets to have more fun with the role.
“I am somewhat of a sorcerer. I entrance people. I’m able to manipulate people into playing out the show that I’m talking about,” he said.
READ MORE: Bard on the Bandstand returns with Shakespeare at the circus
The free show runs July 18 to 20 at Spirit Square in Pitt Meadows and then from July 25 to 27 at Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge.
Pre-show entertainment including a couple of clowns to introduce the show, a dog circus and a sword dance starts at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m.
Donations for the Friends In Need Food Bank will also be collected.
For more information visit emeraldpig.ca.
cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com
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