2007-08 The Bomb-ity of Errors

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2007-2008 EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH SPONSORS

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2007 - 2008 Educational Outreach Sponsors

2007 - 2008 Season Sponsors

Lockheed Martin Project BlueprintDirectors’ Circle ($7,500 - $13,999) Lockheed Martin MS2

Bank of America Children's TourProducers’ Circle ($15,000 - $30,000) Bank of AmericaStage Partner ($3,000 - $4,999) Lockheed Martin Employees Federated FundStage Manager ($1,500 - $2,999) Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Wegman’s

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Timothy J. BondProducing Artistic Director

James A. ClarkManaging Director

PRESENTS

The Bomb-itty of ErrorsBY

Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, Gregory Qaiyum, and Erik Weiner

MUSIC BY

Jeffrey Qaiyum

DIRECTED BY

Andy Goldberg

SCENIC DESIGN

Shoko Kambara

LIGHTING DESIGN

Aaron Spivey

COSTUME DESIGN

Amelia Dombrowski

SOUND DESIGN

Jonathan Herter

SPONSORED BY

CONTENTS.

MC Billy Shakes............................................................5

The History of Errors.................................................6

Style and Form.............................................................7

Inside the Globe Theatre............................................8

Ye Olde Timeline..........................................................9

Bomb-itty Background..............................................10

Resources and Activities............................................11

© 2007. Edited by Lauren Unbekant and Adam Zurbruegg. Layout by Adam Zurbruegg

To arrange a matinee performance of The Bomb-itty of Errors, please contact Tracey White at (315) 443-9844.

This study guide is meant to supplement the Syracuse Stage 2007-08 Season Study Guide. If you have arranged to see The Bomb-itty of Errors, but have not yet received a Season Study Guide,

please call the Syracuse Stage Dept. of Educational Outreach at (315) 443-1150 or (315) 442-7755.

All study guides are available in digital PDF format online at:www.syracusestage.org

Syracuse StageDept. of Educational Outreach(315) 443-1150

4 www.syracusestage.orgwww.myspace.com/syracusestageman

One. A 1589 production of Comedy of Errors probably felt more like a rap concert than a trip to theopera.Whiletheroyalandeliteaudiencememberssatinprivateboxes,the‘floor seats’ (standing room only) were available to the lower-class masses of ‘groundlings,’ as they were called. We don’t think there was a mosh pit, but it could get pretty raucous down there. Check out page 8 for more on the groundlings.

Two. Shakespeare came from nothing. His parents couldn’t read or write, but he managed to be- comeoneof themostprolificwritersof alltime.Notbad,huh?

Three.Don’t let the frilly clothes fool you. Shakespeare was tough. The year he was born, his town was hit with the Black Plague, and Baby Shakes survived. 50 Cent may have been shot a few times (he don’t walk with a limp) but he never had to deal with the Plague.

Four. Rap producer and artist Timbaland raised $800,000 for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Russell Simmons and Sean Combs are outspoken political activists. But Shakespeare wins again. Queen Elizabeth I was one of his biggest fans. Show me George Bush at a Snoop Dogg show and we’ll talk.

Five. He didn’t think to add “-izzle” to any of them, but Shakespeare invented an estimated 1,700 words. Here’s a few of our favorites: assassin, bloody, critic, generous, gloomy, gnarled, laughable, lonely, majestic, and puke.

Okay, this might seem strange, but trust us: Shakespeare was a stone cold gangsta. In The Bomb-itty of Errors, you’ll see how the Grandmaster Bard and modern hip-hop artists use the English language in very similar ways. First, here’s a few facts about Shake-speare that might just boost his ‘street cred.’

Syracuse StageDept. of Educational Outreach

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The History of ErrorsWhen a story is 2,200 years old, it needs a little maintenance to keep it rel-

evant as the times change. Let’s check out how this tale has evolved with the language of its audience - from raucous Latin to bawdy Elizabethan,

and now in American hip-hop.

TITUSMACCIUSPLAUTUS (254 - 184 BC) was a Roman playwright best known for his comedies and social satires. One of his best known plays, The Menaechmi, tells the tale of two twin brothers separated at age seven when one brother is lost in the crowdedstreets.Asanadult,Menaechmusof Syracusesetsoutwithhisslavetofindthe lost Menaechmus of Epidamnus. He is mistaken for his brother, and gets caught in the middle of his twin’s marital disputes. Menaechmus of Syracuse’s slave, Messenio, figuresouttheconfusionandisgrantedfreedomforit.Allendshappily.Well,exceptforMenaechmus of Epidamnus’ wife. Her husband leaves her and returns to Syracuse.

In ancient Rome, plays were not performed by themselves, but as parts of huge festivals that also included chariot races, boxing matches, and other events. As a result, Plautus’ plays were intended to grab and hold the audience’s attention. A boring play would be no match for the allure of a good chariot race. Plautus used slapstick comedy, cheap gags, sexual innuendo - anything that would engage and entertain an audience of the masses.

When WILLIAMSHAKESPEARE, at the very beginning of his writing career, set out to adapt Plautus’ tale into The Comedy of Errors,hehadthebenefitof amorecaptiveaudience,butonethatstillcravedthelow-browbawdyhumorasmuchastheRomans did (for more detail on Elizabethan audiences, check out page 8.) So, Shakespeare doubled the comedy by adding another set of twins as servants to the original brothers.

Some critics feel that The Comedy of Errors is overly complicated, and more confusing than the original story. Others believe it is more entertaining because of the added chaos. Whatever your opinion, the fact of the matter is that Shakespeare was not content to simply translate Plautus’ play into English (which was being done at about the same time, by William Warner.) He wantedtoadapttheplaytofitthechangingtimes.What was once funny in ancient Rome would not have the same ef-fect in Elizabethan England. Likewise, what was funny in Elizabethan England did not have the same effect in...


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NEWYORKCITY,1998, when students at NYU set out to do exactly what Plautus and Shakespeare had done: tell the classic tale in the language of their audience. Shakespeare’s audience was comfortable reading Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe. Bomb-itty’s audi-ence was more interested in Public Enemy and Jurassic 5. The authors of Bomb-itty knew that hip-hop, rap, and slam poetry were the modern urban language, and by using that language, they could capture the attention and imagination of a modern audi-ence. Like their predecessors, they found a way to bring a 2,200 year old story to a brand new audience in a refreshingly contemporary way.

Titus Maccius Plautus

The Bomb-itty brain trust

www.syracusestage.orgwww.myspace.com/syracusestageman

“I’m here to say what’s in my heart...

And you call it a style.”- DMX, Let Me Fly

Have you ever heard two of your friends tell the same story? The facts are probably the same, but the story comes out differently. Why? Style: not what you say, but how you say it. Check out two different (but similar) styles of telling the story of The Comedy of Errors.


(315) 443-11507

SHAKESPEARE’s style of choice was rhymingcouplets. He didn’t use them all the time, but whenever he wanted to make a point or leave the audience with a lasting impression, he used a couplet.

A couplet is simply a pair of lines that rhyme and are the same length. How do we measure the length?Insyllables.Howmanysyllablesareineachof the linesintheexampleontheleft?Ignorethe“u/u/”stuff fornow.

Alright.Time’sup.Didyoucounttensyllables?That’sShakespeare’sfavoritekindof couplet, and probably the most common kind in the entire English language. It’s callediambicpentameter.

IAMBICPENTAMETER is a complicated name for a really simple style. In fact, the reason so many writers use iambic pen-tameteristhatit’ssoclosetothewaywespeakinnormalconversation.Here’swhatitmeans.“Penta-”means“five”(likehowapentagonhasfivesides)and“meter”isjustanotherwordforrhythm,orbeat.Thisbeathasfivesetsof iambs, and eachiambistwosyllableslong,makingtensyllablestotal.Areyoustillwithme?

Each iamb has one stressedsyllable and one unstressed syllable. The stressed syllables just have a little extra emphasis. Basically, it sounds like: “dum-DUM dum-DUM dum-DUM dum-DUM dum-DUM.” In the example above, we marked the stressedsyllableswith“/”abovethem,andtheunstressedsyllableswith“u.”Tryreadingitaloud,andnoticehowitsounds.

“Iambicpentameterisrap.It’sthestructure.” - Tupac ShakurWhatdoyouthinkTupacmeansbythis?Howdoyoudefine“rap?”Notallrapiswritteniniambicpentameter.Tomixthings up, poets and rap artists use lots of different meters (or, beats) in their songs. Shakespeare mixed things up, too, when he wanted to make certain points, but rap artists use “irregular” meter more frequently.

ACTIVITY:Pickaraporhip-hopsongthatyoulikeandprintthelyricsfromtheinternet(let’strytokeepitclean,okay?)Readitoutloudtogetafeelfortherhythm.Nowtakeacloserlook.Istherearhymescheme?Howmanysyl-lablesdoeseachlinehave?Sometimesitwillbethesameamount,sometimesitwillbedifferent.Whydoyouthinkawritermightchoosetohavedifferentamounts?Whywouldhe/shechoosethesameamount?Nowseeif you can pick out which syllables are stressed and which are unstressed. Grab a pencil and mark the lyrics like we marked the example at the top of the page. Remember: this is rap, not Shakespeare, so there will probably be a lot of variation. If you’re feeling creative, try writing your own rap or poem. Pick a style, and have fun!


Inside the Globe Theatre


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“You will see such heaving and shoving, such itching and shouldering to sit by the women, such care for their garments that they be not trod on... such toy-ing, such smiling, such winking, such manning them home... that it is a right comedy to mark their behavior.” - Stephen Gosson, The School of Abuse (1579)

This quote is a first-hand account of what a trip to the theatre was like in Elizabethan England: pushing to sit next to the prettiest ladies, accidentally stepping on each other’s clothes, rough-housing and laughing. Sounds more like a rap concert than a trip to the theatre.

In those days, the theatre experience was not unlike an outdoor concert. Take a look at this picture of the Globe The-atre today. First, notice how the audi-ence surrounds the stage on three sides. This is known as a thrust stage. Syracuse Stage’s Archibold Theatre, where you will see The Bomb-itty of Errors, has a much less pronounced thrust, but does protrude slightly into the audience.

Next, check out the 3-tiered covered gallery seats. These were like modern luxury boxes for those who could afford it. The best seats were reserved for royalty like Queen Elizabeth herself. They often preferred seats where they could be seen and envied by the poorer audience members, and addressed by the actors.

Upper-class men and women, however, were not the only ones who enjoyed live theatre. Today there are so many entertain-ment options (TV, movies, YouTube, rock concerts, etc.) that it is easy to forget that at one time, theatre was one of the only games in town. Tanners, butchers, shoe-makers, even servants could see any of Shakespeare’s plays for the cost of only one penny, although for most working people, a penny was almost an entire day’s wages. Here among the ‘groundlings’ we would have found the heaving and shoving that Stephen Gosson spoke of. The groundlings weren’t concerned with manner or eti-quette like the royalty was. They didn’t need to be. They came to hoot and holler, cheer and boo, eat and drink.

Shakespeare knew this. He knew that his plays needed to appeal to Queens and servants alike. So, he wrote about royal families andGreekhistorytopleasethegalleries,andaddedbrutalswordfights,sexualinnuendo,sillydrunks,andmischeviousservantsfor the groundlings.

This is one of the reasons that The Bomb-itty of Errors is so valuable in 2008. Because the English language has changed, most of Shakespeare’s humor has been lost over time, and many modern productions of Shakespeare’s classics choose to shy away from the original grit in favor of a more straight-laced (and often, boring) style. The Bomb-itty of Errors brings Shakespeare back to its original intent: bold, in-your-face theatre for the masses.


Ye Olde Timeline Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare’s Plays1560

1570

1580

1590

1600

1610

1564. William Shakespeare is born in Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England

(100 miles north of London.)

1571. By tradition we can assume William began his formal education at age seven.

1582. William marries Anne Hathaway, who is three months pregnant with their daughter.

1583. Susanna Shakespeare is born.

1585. Hamnet (no, that’s not a typo) and Judith Shakespeare are born.

1593. All London theatres are closed until the following spring due to the Plague. Shakespeare takes up writing sonnets.

1596. Hamnet Shakespeare dies at age 11.

1597. Shakespeare’s company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men, move to a new theatre: The Curtain. Their old theatre is demolished and used to build The

Globe Theatre. Also, Shakespeare buys New Place, the second-largest home in Stratford.

1599. TheGlobeisfinished,andShakespeare is a part-owner.

1601. Shakespeare’s father dies.

1603. Queen Elizabeth dies. James I takes the throne. To keep their royal support, Chamberlain’s

Men change their name to The King’s Men.

1608. TheKing’sMenpurchaseLondon’sfirstindoortheatre: The Blackfriar. Shakespeare’s mother dies.

1609. The154sonnetsarefirstpublished.

1613. The Globe Theatre burns down during a performance of Henry VIII.

1616. William Shakespeare dies.

The Comedy of Errors CThe Two Gentlemen of Verona CKing John HHenry VI [Parts 1-3] HRichard III HThe Taming of the Shrew CRomeo & Juliet TLove’s Labours Lost CRichard II HA Midsummer Night’s Dream CThe Merchant of Venice THenry IV [Parts 1 & 2] HMuch Ado About Nothing CAs You Like It CJulius Caesar THenry V HHamlet TTwelfth Night CAll’s Well That Ends Well COthello TMeasure for Measure CKing Lear TMacbeth TPericles TAntony & Cleopatra TThe Winter’s Tale RThe Tempest RThe Two Noble Kinsmen RHenry VIII H

[There is a lot of dispute about the exact order these were written. It seems likely that Shakespeare would work on several plays at one time, so the exact order in which they werefinishedisupfordebate.Thisisonlyapartial list, some lesser-known plays have been left out in the interest of space.]

C = Comedy T = Tragedy H = History R = Romance

Bomb-itty BackgroundIt started as the project of a group of NYU students. Soon, it was being produced across the world. MTV even wanted to make it into a TV show! Check out the history of this one-of-a-kind play, and see what critics and audiences have said about it!

NOTABLEPRODUCTIONS

1999:Powerhouse Theatre Festival (Poughkeepsie, NY)1999-2000: Off-Broadway (New York, NY)2001: Royal George Cabaret Theatre (Chicago, IL)2001:HBO Comedy Arts Festival (Aspen, CO)2002: Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Edinburgh, Scotland)2002: Chicago Shakespeare Festival (Chicago, IL)2002: MTV, Scratch & Burn (Sketch comedy; 5 episodes) 2002:American Stage (St. Petersburg, FL)2003:New Ambassadors Theatre (London, England)2003:The Helix Theatre (Dublin, Ireland)2004:Coronet Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)2006:Adirondack Theatre Festival (Glens Falls, NY)2007:St. Louis Repertory Theatre (St. Louis, MO)

AWARDS&NOMINATIONS

2000:Outer Critics Circle Award (NY) Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical

2000:Drama Desk Award, Nomination (NY) Best Lyrics

2001:HBO Comedy Arts Festival (Aspen, CO) Grand Jury Prize

2001:Jefferson Award (Chicago, IL) Best Touring Production

WHATAUDIENCESHAVESAID

“Awesome, upbeat, cool, and hip. Very

entertaining and modern to teenagers.”

- Ayesha, 27 yrs. old, Brooklyn

“It’s hip-hop comedy with a touch of class.”-Toby, 31 yrs. old, New Haven


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“It’s unique, fun, and like nothing you’ve ever seen!” - Victor, 17 yrs. old, Evanston“Perfect for teens and adults, almost anyone, really! Highlight of my theatre experiences!”- Mario, 41 yrs. old, Naperville

“Nothing short of brilliant. Clever writing, rhythmic flow, witty musical allusions, and intelligent humor.” -MTV

“A stroke of genius.” - The Times

“An ingenious reworking of Shakespeare’s plot and poetry.” - Chicago Tribune


RESOURCES“And thou shalt see how apt it is to learn.” - Much Ado About Nothing; I.i

On Shakespeare

“William Shakespeare” www.shakespeare.com “Shakespeare Online” www.shakespeare-online.com “CompleteWorksOnline” http://shakespeare.mit.edu “CompleteWorksOnline” www.bartleby.com/70/ “Absolute Shakespeare” www.absoluteshakespeare.com “InternetShakespeare” http://shakespeare.palomar.edu “Shakespeare Resources” www.bardweb.net “SearchShakespeareQuotes” www.rhymezone.com/shakespeare/

On “The Comedy of Errors”

“E-Text” http://shakespeare.mit/edu/comedy_errors/ “E-Text” www.bartleby.com/70/index15.html “SparkNotes” www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/errors/ “GradeSaver” gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/comedyoferrors

On Hip-Hop & Shakespeare

“The Bomb-itty of Errors” www.bomb-itty.com “TopTenAnalogues” stylusmagazine.com/articles/staff_top_10/ top-ten-shakespeare-hip-hop-analogues.html “Poeticsof HipHopLessons” http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3656 “ClassroomProducts” www.flocabulary.com

Plus...

VisittheOfficialSyracuseStageWebsiteatwww.syracusestage.orgNow you can be Stage Man’s friend at www.myspace.com/syracusestageman


(315) 443-115011www.syracusestage.org

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Documents

2007-08 The Bomb-ity of Errors