The Shakespeare Festival at Tulane presented its 16th season of professional theater this past summer, and the myriad presentations focused on works with identity themes – misconceptions, more-than-meets-the-eye, deception and humorous mistaken identities.
From May through July, fans of the Bard got their fix: The festival presented King Lear, The Comedy of Errors, Much Ado About Nothing and a lagniappe performance called Fighting with Two Hands, an original piece by Helen Jaksch.
On the evening of Saturday, June 27, an opening reception was held in the Lupin Theatre on Tulane’s campus to celebrate The Comedy of Errors, one of his earliest plays. With the playful tone of the performance yet to begin, guests got into the spirit by chatting, mingling and munching on sweets from Blue Frog Chocolates and Starbucks.
Preceding the performance, guests casually sipped on light beverages and mingled with actors, crew members and other participants of the festival were also present. Then the lights dimmed in the theater while spirits soared as the audience took in the delightful revamped version of the play – director Lorenzo Gonzalez transported the audience to the multicultural world of 1750s New Orleans.