THE ENNISKILLEN AMATEUR dramatic society are to begin their latest residency at the Ardhowen Theatre tomorrow (Thursday).
The group will perform, as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Open Stages Project, ‘The Comedy of Errors’ from February 19-21.
Nick Young, Society Secretary and director for The Comedy of Errors said: “This will be the 4th production during the time I have been involved with the Society, and it’s the only one where we decided over a year beforehand which play we would do: in the case of the other three we chose the plays about nine months beforehand.”
The society held four Shakespeare workshops in September 2013 to test the interest among actors in the area and the attendance seemed sufficient to make it worthwhile to explore the idea of doing a Shakespeare play some February. At the same time it became aware of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Open Stages Project under which amateur companies receive help, guidance and training from the professional practitioners at the RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon, to help them put on a Shakespeare play between April 2014 and April 2015.
“We were extremely fortunate in being selected for the Open Stages Project,” Nick continued, “Around 100 amateur companies were chosen nationwide, but only four in Northern Ireland and three of those were in Belfast, so, in a sense, we are bring the RSC to Enniskillen. It was a huge expression of faith in our abilities by a world-class theatrical body and we have strived to live up to it since.”
In regards to the play itself, Nick explained: “It’s a play without a death, without heavy philosophical musings, but full of fast-paced physical humour which is as funny today as it was in the 16th century.
“The language is not difficult to understand as it deals with concrete issues such as dinner, necklaces, gold, rope, a locked door and so on.”
