Shakespeare lives at the David A. Howe Library!
From the David A. Howe Public Library
In what has become an entertaining community tradition, the David A. Howe Library welcomes Shake on the Lake! back to their front lawn this summer, on Wednesday, July 29, at 6:30 p.m. The company will perform their interpretation of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, with only a handful of actors taking on all the roles. There will be live music before the show begins.
This performance is free and open to the public thanks, in part, to funding from the Allegany County Area Foundation and the Friends of David A. Howe Library. The show lasts approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs for this outdoor performance. In case of inclement weather, the show will be in the Nancy Howe Auditorium inside the library.
Set in the port town of Ephesus, The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his butler, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive at Ephesus, which, unknown to them, turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his butler, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps ensues. Shake’s performance will help you understand why “a comedy of errors” has entered the popular English lexicon as an idiom for “an event or series of events made ridiculous by the number of errors that were made throughout.”
In 2013, The Comedy of Errors was first full-length Shakespeare production Shake ever staged, becoming the blueprint for the company’s signature fast, fun, and physical style. Featuring returning Shake cast members, Matt Duncan, Tim Cooper, McKenzie Gordon, Madeleine Dauer, and Ladarius Jamerson, get ready to get ridiculous this summer, with Shake’s 2026 production of The Comedy of Errors.
Support for Shake on the Lake is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support by the Arts Council for Wyoming County, GOArt, The Mary Conable & Norman Gayford Charitable Fund, the Conable Family Foundation, and the Ralph C. Wilson Arts & Cultural Initiative.
