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 Bentley Alex Clifton Chief Executive, Artistic Director, Storyhouse Storyhouse Directed by Designed by Alex Clifton Jessica Curtis Musical direction by Jessica Dives Wardrobe Supervisor Production Volunteer Therese Denis Ellen Cammack Danielle Bird Cast 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 In the rehearsal zoom This is a new way of making theatre. would normally treat as members of our Everything is different. How we work, shared sports team (run amongst them, where we work, when we work... jump on them, share food with them) the only thing that’s remain we must now stand apart from at three unchanged, is why we work. metres minimum. The centre holds. Nevertheless, we are so, so happy to be here - to gather together around We are here to share a story. To gather this story. together, in joy, and experience the delight of emotions felt in unison. That The Ephesus of The Comedy of Errors is simple, shared experience remains exactly where we want to meet you. It’s unaltered and unrefined. a town full of clowns, stuck in the middle of a play written by an arrogant young But everything else is different. Actors writer, showing off and asserting his own would normally rehearse together, eat nascent genius. It’s a play commissioned together, drink together, get changed by a bunch of lawyers for their Christmas together, play together. Now we rehearse party, first staged in Christmas 1594 at online, meet only at distance - and only the Grays Inn as part of the festivities. after we’ve had ourselves tested and our It was written for a bunch of very clever, temperatures checked. A show we would very drunk people wanting an escape and normally spend four weeks preparing, we a party... sounds perfect! stage in two days. Our characters are not allowed to stand face-to-face within Kick back and enjoy a short holiday from two metres of each other for more than anything outside of our sunny Ephesus. a matter of moments; we can only sing away from each other. An audience we Alex Clifton, Director Nichole Bird Antipholus of Cast Syracuse Nichole trained at Danielle Bird Mountview Academy of Antipholus Theatre Arts. of Ephesus Theatre credits includes: The Prince and The Pauper Previously at Grosvenor (New Vic Theatre / The Park Open Air Theatre: Unicorn), The Dutch Lady, A Midsummer’s Night Look About You, The Wits (The Globe’s Read Not Dead), Dream, Cyrano de Unmythable (Out of Chaos), The Rakes Progress (Complicité Bergerac, Othello (2013), / DNO), Olivier nominated Alice’s Adventures Underground The Comedy of Errors, (Waterloo Vaults /Les Enfant Terribles), Love’s Victory (Urania Macbeth (2014) Theatre), Peter Pan, Cinderella (Winchester Theatre Royal), James and the Giant Peach (Sell a Door/International Tour), Theatre credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Immersion Theatre), After Aladdin (Theatre Royal, the Blue (Jermyn Street Theatre), A Christmas Carol...More Wakefield); The Hypocrite (Royal Shakespeare Company or Less (Bridge House Theatre), The Woman Before (Soho / Hull Truck); Macbeth (Shakespeares Globe); Notmoses Theatre), Arden of Faversham (Rose Theatre), The Real Horror (Magnet Arts Theatre); The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Show (Leicester Square Theatre), Death of a Salesman (TNT/ (Birmingham REP); Alice’s Adventures Underground (Les European Tour) You Me Bum Bum Train. Enfants Terribles The Vaults); Father Christmas and The Icicle Bicycle (Oxford Playhouse); Prince and The Pauper (Unicorn Film and Television Credits include; Now You See Me 2 Theatre); Colin Hoult’s Real Horror show (Leicester Square (Lionsgate), A Running Jump by Mike Leigh (Thin Man Films), Theatre); You Me Bum Bum Train (YMBBT Productions); The Double Life of Morton Coyle, Holby City, Crimewatch SLICK (National Youth Theatre); The Democratic Set (Wales (BBC), The Tree Fairy (Film4), The Wives Did It (Discovery ID), Millennium Centre); Unity Festival (Wales Millennium Centre); Zoe (Ridley Scott Productions), Mousie (Kewhaven Picture), As You Like It (Principal Theatre Company); Shakespeare Demons (James Morrison Music Video), What’s Jamie Up To?, Showcase (Principal Theatre Company). Untold Stories (Media Trust). Nichole is part of the Live Canon Ensemble, delivering poetry Mari Izzard at Theatres, festivals and online including audio anthology Dromio of Syracuse The Empty Horizon. She also performs with all female Circus Theatre company Circo Rum BaBa. She is delighted to be back in Chester. Mari trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Lowri Izzard Theatre credits include: Dromio of Ephesus Lord of the Flies (Sherman Theatre and Lowi studied at RADA. Theatr Clwyd); Pride & Prejudice (Regent’s Park Theatre credits include: Open Air Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC); My Lord of the Flies (Sherman Mate Pete (Old Red Lion); Mametz (National Theatre Wales); Theatre and Theatr Clwyd); Skyhawk (Clwyd Theatr Cymru); Twelfth Night (Roverfront Votes for Women (New Vic Theatre); Blister (RWCMD / Paines Plough); Fe Ddaw’r Theatre); I Capture The Byd I Ben (RWCMD / Sherman Theatre). Castle (Watford Palace / Bolton Octagon / Oxford Television and film credits include: Gwaith/Cartref; Playhouse); The Tempest (Orange Tree Theatre); Much Ado Ctrl+Alt_Delet; Gadael Sneggl About Nothing (The Faction). Radio credits include: Walk to Remember Television and film credits include: Hidden/Craith, A Proper Little Family; Tick Tock Radio credits include: Alice’s Wonderland; Dombey and Son Danielle Henry Adriana Previously at Grosvenor Jessica Dives Park Open Air Theatre: Duke / Balthazar As You Like It, Stig Of The Dump, Two Gentlemen of Barmaid / Officer Verona (2016) Romeo & Juliet; Wind & The Willows; Jessica is the production’s Merry Wives of Windsor Musical Director. Jessica (2015). has a BA from Royal Holloway and trained at Royal Central School of Theatre credits include: My Brilliant Friend (National Theatre); Speech and Drama. 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 Previously at Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre: Manchester); Earl of Mo Bay (Nottingham Playhouse); Up Twelfth Night, Henry V, The Borrowers (2019). Against the Wall (Bolton Octagon); Once Upon a Time in Wigan (Riverside Studios/Tour); Blue (Nottingham Arts Theatre credits include: Red Riding Hood (Liverpool Theatre); Andrew’s Angry Words (M6 Theatre Company); Little Everyman); The Lost Ones (The Bush Theatre and TRSE); Guess Shop of Horrors (Zoo Nation). How Much I Love You (Selladoor Worldwide); Hamlet (Young Shakespeare Company); Newsrevue (Canal Cafe Theatre). Film and Television credits include: Soul Boy (Ipso Facto); Emmerdale; Diamond Geezer (ITV); No Offence; Courtroom; Jessica is also an accomplished Singer and Musician, Leah’s Trial (Channel 4); Moving On; Katy; Broken; Lost performing with various vintage acts and bands Christmas; Doctors; Candy Cabs; Casualty; Survivors; across the UK. 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 Anton Cross Joey; Stone; Look Sharp; Pattie’s Patties, Mary Shane; How to Luciana / Officer remember the dead; The Autobiography of a Nobody; Lost in Liverpool and Westway (BBC Radio 4). 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). Dream, Summer Lightning, A Chorus of Disapproval, A Simeon Truby Christmas Carol, Our Country’s Good, The Recruiting Officer, Egeon Cinderella, The Hired Man, The Wizard of Oz, The Snow Queen, Romeo and Juliet and Charley’s Aunt (Theatre by the Lake, Merchant Angelo Keswick); Romeo & Juliet, David Copperfield, The Merchant of Pinch Venice, A Christmas Carol, Oh What a Lovely War, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, 8 Miles High, Two, The Wizard of Previously at Storyhouse: Oz, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kes: The Musical (Bolton A Little Night Music, The Crucible Octagon); Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, The Man with Two Gaffers (Northern Broadsides); Much Ado About Simeon trained at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.