The tour kicks off Oct. 9 at the Pelham Fritz Recreation Center in Manhattan. Following a three-week mobile run, the show will have a short engagement, with tickets available for purchase, at the Public's permanent home at Astor Place in Manhattan, Nov. 1-22. An official opening night is scheduled for Nov. 5.
The complete cast features Matthew Citron, Bernardo Cubria, Flor De Liz Perez, Christina Pumariega, Lucas Caleb Rooney, David Ryan Smith and Zuzanna Szadkowski.
In the Shakespearean farce, a man and his servant arrive in a town, unaware that each has an identical twin already living there. The mix-up causes upset wives, upset creditors and ensuing scandal.
The Comedy of Errors marks the sixth year of the Public's Mobile Shakespeare Unit, part of the theatre's commitment in making the arts accessible to all. "The Mobile Unit is the purest expression of Joe Papp’s vision, that society is better when Shakespeare belongs to everyone," said artistic director Oskar Eustis in an earlier press statement.
"I’ve seen almost 75 community tour performances with the Mobile Unit and never tire of watching audiences who start out skeptical of Shakespeare then erupt in laughter and applause throughout the show," said director of special artistic projects, Stephanie Ybarra. "This is what the Mobile Unit was designed to do – offer up all of the joy and wonderment of world-class theater to underserved audiences throughout New York." The production features scenic and costume design by Moria Sine Clinton; music composition by Shane Rettig; movement direction by Christopher Windom; and fight direction by Lisa Kopitsky.
Tour dates include the following venues:
Pelham Fritz Recreation Center, Manhattan, is a NYC Parks and Recreation center located in Harlem (Oct. 9).
Highbridge Recreation Center, Manhattan, a NYC Parks and Recreation center located in Washington Heights (Oct. 10).
Lenox Hill Women’s Mental Health Shelter at the Park Avenue Armory, Manhattan, provides short-term, safe, and supportive environments to address immediate needs for mentally ill homeless women (Oct. 12).
Brownsville Recreation Center, Brooklyn, a Public Works community partner, is a NYC Parks and Recreation center located in the Brownsville Playground with extensive resources for youth and seniors. The center offers a vibrant space to tap into pursuits artistic and athletic alike (Oct. 14).
ICL Personalized Recovery-Oriented Services, Brooklyn, is a comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation program for adults with serious mental illness (Oct. 15).
Queensboro Correctional Facility, Queens, is a minimum security prison in Long Island City (Oct. 16).
Faber Park Field House, Staten Island, is a NYC Parks and Recreation center located in Staten Island (Oct. 17).
DreamYard Arts Project, Bronx, a Public Works community partner, uses project-based arts learning to ignite the transformative spirit (Oct. 19).
Eric M. Taylor Center, Rikers Island – Built in 1964, EMTC houses nearly 2,000 adult and adolescent males sentenced to one year or less (Oct. 20).
Rose M. Singer Center, Rikers Island – Built in 1988, RMSC houses more than 1,700 adult and adolescent females (Oct. 21).
Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, is a U.S. federal administrative detention facility, which holds male and female prisoners of all security levels (Oct. 22 and Oct. 26).
Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, Bronx, is a NYC Parks and Recreation center located in the Bronx (Oct. 24).
Taconic Correctional Facility, Westchester, is the largest maximum security prison for women in New York (Oct. 28).
Tickets, priced at $20 at The Public, are available now and can be purchased by calling (212) 967-7555, visiting PublicTheater, or in person at the Taub Box Office at 425 Lafayette Street.
