Sport for Jove is kicking off the new Theatre Under the Stars with its successful outdoor production of The Comedy of Errors. Photos: Grant Leslie Photography.
An iconic comedy filled with chaotic confusion and mistaken identity that has entertained audiences for centuries will be staged under the stars in a stunning outdoor performance, starting a new theatre tradition in the Illawarra.
Sitting on a picnic blanket as the sun sets, enjoying a glass of wine and a show, Illawarra audiences will soon be treated to an exceptional experience as the Sport for Jove production of The Comedy of Errors is brought to Wollongong as the first show in Merrigong’s new Theatre Under the Stars.
“All over the world outdoor Shakespeare just works; we tend to forget that these plays were actually written for outdoor theatre and they’re not the kind of high art pedestal that we often think of Shakespeare as,” Sport for Jove artistic director and production co-director Damien Ryan said.
“There’s a really inclusive, experiential, immersive quality to the work and that’s what The Comedy of Errors is all about.
“So when Simon contacted us about starting a relationship with Merrigong to perform outdoor Shakespeare, we thought let’s give them Shakespeare’s funniest play, his most irreverent play and I think it will be a real delight for audiences there.”
The company has been showcasing outdoor Shakespeare for almost two decades, with this production having just completed a run of almost sold-out shows in Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
But it wasn’t easy finding the right actors for the parts, with the characters being two sets of twins a crucial part of pulling off the humour and the plot.
The show has already attracted large crowds.
“Its really full-on with a play like this; it’s genuinely frightening because you know the play will really really soar if the twin look is special,” Damien said.
“If you can pull it off it is a fantastic experience for the audience because they are discombobulated at times too before all the pennies drop.
“I think we’ve really hit it out of the park.”
The creative team are experts in breaking down barriers and preconceived ideas potential audience members may have about Shakespeare or the language and helping them to find the joy and entertainment in the play.
And while the text is foundation, they said it’s not like works many were forced to study in school.
“Teaching it in the classroom is very hard because it’s like you’re having to hand out an incredible song whether it’s Taylor Swift or Eminem or a Beethoven Symphony to kids behind the desk and asking them to read the music score rather than listening to and experiencing the song itself,” Damien said.
“In the theatre it’s a very different experience to engage with Shakespeare and you can kind of leave any high school trauma behind.
“There’s quite a magical thing that happens; when my parents come along, or my partner who hasn’t seen much Shakespeare at all, about five, six, eight minutes in your ear becomes attuned to this language and then you are with it understanding everything,” education coordinator and co-director George Banders said.
“Little five-year-olds and 10-year-olds that come to the show, they’re with us the whole way.”
The play is the first in Merrigong’s new summer series Theatre Under the Stars, kicking off a three-year partnership to host outdoor performances at the University of Wollongong’s Kooloobong Oval.
The production shows the humour and joy in Shakespeare.
The idea came about after successful shows at Port Kembla pool and the Botanic Gardens.
“Over the years Merrigong has done a number of outdoor productions,” Merrigong artistic director and CEO Simon Hinton said. “And we’ve been looking to try and establish an annual outdoor season because it’s a great experience for people to be able to sit out in the summer and experience theatre as the sun sets.”
While it requires more significant logistics, bringing works into the community can really make it more accessible and appealing.
“I think there’s a really great sense of community that comes out of taking theatre out of the formality of bricks and mortar theatre,” Simon said.
“It creates a really totally different vibe and I think there’s something also really special about that feeling that you’re outdoors in nature.”
“We spend our lives in dark rooms with bright screens and so to smell the grass and hear the birdsong and feel the wind on your face and sit with your loved ones and share some beautiful food and wine and just experience the play, it’s great,” George said.
And with a new show each year, he hopes it will become a staple on the Illawarra community’s calendar.
“We are working to create a really magical kind of experience there so the way we’re decorating the site, creating the ambience, I think people are going to be really blown away,” Simon said.
“It’s a really charming, lovely experience and I think it can become a real summer tradition.”
The Comedy of Errors at Kooloobong Oval runs from 11 to 22 February; tickets are available through the Merrigong website.
