Corona Cold Reads: Comedy of Errors

These are crazy times and we’ve all taken on a bunch of new projects as we socially isolate in order to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

We’re donating where we can, we’re cleaning the pantry, we’re organizing the 2300+ title dvd library. We finished work on the Nominee Interview Series even though the live event for our yearly Critics’ Pick Awards had to be cancelled (we’ve still got trophies to give out, eventually). We started the Corona Movie Club to help curb our boredom and constant need to talk about movies with other human beings. I’m even watching network procedurals and actually writing about them.

But what we all really need is comfort. We need our favourite things and our favourite people and right now those are hard to come by so we have to do everything we can to bring them together whenever possible. For me, there’s nothing quite so comforting and joyful as Shakespeare. Luckily, I know a lot of people who also love Shakespeare- a few old friends from my alma mater’s Shakespeare Society and a few of my favourite Toronto theatre artists, all of whom just so happen to be talented and generous and responsibly socially isolated enough to want to join a nearly 3-hour 19-person Zoom call for the purposes of livestreaming Shakespeare on YouTube.

Our Comedy of Errors reading was a special birthday celebration for two of our actors. Anne van Leeuwen and Steve Vargo share a birthday so they donned party hats to take on the roles of the twin Antipholi. Vargo was also responsible for putting together the rest of the cast list, which included nothing short of eleven Dromios as so many people wanted to participate to celebrate Vargo & Anne.

Check out Comedy of Errors in audio form below (or on iTunes) then tune into our YouTube page on Saturday and Tuesday nights at 7pm EST to catch our live readings.

A huge thank you to the cast of Comedy of Errors:

Antipholus of Syracuse- Anne van Leeuwen
Antipholus of Ephesus- Steve Vargo
Adriana- Lauren Horejda
Luciana- Susannah Mackay
Aegeon- Luis Fernandes
Aemelia- Susan Bond
Duke Solinus- Jamie Johnson
Second Merchant- Mark Kreder
Balthazar- Timothy Ng
Luce- Emily Cully
Angelo- Blue Bigwood-Mallin
Courtezan- Nicole Falgoust
Pinch- Laura Hubbard
Officer/Gaoler/Servant- Mo Kamaly
Dromio of Syracuse One- Sam Chappell
Dromio of Syracuse Two- Michael Ross Albert
Dromio of Syracuse Three- Weldon Goree
Dromio of Syracuse Four- Torey Urquhart
Dromio of Syracuse Five- Hilary Wartinger
Dromio of Syracuse Six- Elizabeth Morriss
Dromio of Ephesus One- Steve Fisher
Dromio of Ephesus Two- Miriam B
Dromio of Ephesus Three- Shalyn McFaul
Dromio of Ephesus Four- Cass Van Wyck
Dromio of Ephesus Five/First Merchant- Melissa Wright