It's a Twin Thing: Shakespeare Comedy Inspires CPS Promotion

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Jonathan C. Kaplan, left, and John Skelley, right, perform in The Acting Company’s production of Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” which CPS will present at SUNY Potsdam on Feb. 22.

POTSDAM, NY (02/14/2011)(readMedia)-- The Community Performance Series will celebrate one of William Shakespeare's funniest plays with a special promotion that invites audience members to get in on the act.

With "It's a Twin Thing," CPS will encourage audience members to come dressed as twins to The Acting Company's Feb. 22 performance of "The Comedy of Errors," which will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus. Each pair that attends the performance dressed as twins will receive a $25 gift certificate to CPS to be used for a future performance.

A free photo booth will be set up in the lobby of Snell Theater to document the participants and their twin costumes. Patrons are invited to stay for the post-show "talk back," where they will be able to share their twin costumes and speak with the actors.

"The Comedy of Errors" is one of Shakespeare's earliest and most farcical plays. The play tells the story of two sets of identical twins tragically separated at birth. When both sets of twins unexpectedly find themselves at the same place at the same time, a series of wild mishaps take place based on mistaken identities.

The Acting Company's version of "The Comedy of Errors" relies heavily on the use of costumes in order to achieve the twin characters. Director Ian Belknap chose a more modern approach, using clothing styles from the early 20th century.

"Both sets of twins are dressed identically," said Belknap. "The Dromio twins are based on Charlie Chaplin's 'Little Tramp' character: bowler hats, baggy pants and fitted jacket. The Antipholus twins are loosely based on merchant sailors from the early 20th century. They wear striped shirts, a dinner jacket and white linen pants. Both sets of twins wear an identical scarf."

These costume choices help the audience suspend disbelief and enter into the story, entertaining the continuous calamities. In this particular play, however, the audience has a leg up on the characters, Belknap said.

"The truth is the audience knows the actors aren't actually twins," the director said. "Shakespeare uses the audience's perspective to create dramatic irony, meaning the audience knows something the characters do not. In 'The Comedy of Errors,' the audience laughs at the foibles caused by mistaken identity because they know they're not really twins!"

The CPS twin promotion will utilize this "dramatic irony" to enhance the audience's experience. Though audience members are not really twins, dressing as such will give them a firsthand glimpse into the life of the characters.

"I think this is identical to the theatrical conceit, people pretending that they look alike," said Belknap. "Any time the audience can relate -- even literally -- to the characters, it enhances their experience."

Tickets can be purchased by visiting the CPS Box Office, located in the lobby of Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus, or Northern Music & Video in downtown Potsdam. Tickets start at $5 for youth, $16 for seniors and students and $20 for adults. A special theatre group rate for drama organizations is also available, with tickets starting at $5.

Tickets are available by calling the CPS Box Office at (315) 267-2277 or by purchasing online at www.cpspotsdam.org.

The Acting Company residency at CPS is sponsored in part by SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, the E.J. Noble Foundation, the Maresca Family Endowment for the Arts and the Sweetgrass Foundation. Media sponsors include WWNY-TV and North Country Public Radio.

Established in 1989, CPS at SUNY Potsdam is a college-community partnership presenting world-class performing artists and arts education opportunities in northern New York. A rich mixture of programs links community, classroom and audiences of all ages while preserving access to the performing arts for future generations.

For more information about CPS's special events, visit www.cpspotsdam.org.

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Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts.

-www.potsdam.edu-