Chicago Shakespeare Theater Introduces “Short Skakespeare” Theater for Young Audiences and Families Jan. 23 through March 6

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) continues the 2009/10 Family Series with Short Shakespeare! The Comedy of Errors, a family-friendly 75-minute abridged production of Shakespeare’s madcap comedy, directed and adapted by David H. Bell.

CST’s Short Shakespeare! program is designed for parents, grandparents, teachers—or anyone with children in their lives—to introduce young people to the timeless works of Shakespeare and the magic of live theater.

Immediately following each performance, the actors remain on stage for a brief question-and-answer session and then join the audience in the lobby for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities.

Tickets are $16 for students (18 and younger), and $20 for adults.

Short Shakespeare! The Comedy of Errors runs Saturdays at 11:00 a.m., January 23 through March 6, 2010 in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier. All CST patrons receive a 40% parking discount.

For further information and to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at 312.595.5600, or visit the Theater’s Web site at chicagoshakes.com.

The Comedy of Errors tells the wildly entertaining tale of Antipholus and his servant Dromio landing in Ephesus, searching for their long-lost twin brothers. Everywhere they go in this foreign land, strangers insist that they’re old friends.

Mistaken identities abound, but in the end, chaos gives way to clarity in this comedy filled with mayhem and madness as identical twin brothers and their identical twin servants get lost in a hilarious, mixed-up world of mistaken identities.

For young audiences being introduced to live theater, Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater provides a close relationship between audience members and the actors, enhancing the play-going experience.

For this production, the Theater is configured with the addition of main floor seating on the proscenium stage itself, creating a theater-in-the-round.