The twang of the Wild West meets the Elizabethan writing style of William Shakespeare in the Grand Valley State University production of “The Comedy of Errors.” As audience members take their seats for one of the 10 performances, they will not see traditional Shakespearean garb upon the stage, but instead they will witness the fashion and scenery of the Wild West.

“A lot of people assume that if you are going to be performing Shakespeare it has to be a Renaissance theme because that was when the plays were written,” said cast member Charlie Wilburn. “But in reality, Shakespeare can be performed in any time setting…so one thing the Shakespeare festival likes to do is to perform it in different time periods.”

Although the set and costumes will be representing a different era, the actors and actresses will recite the original lines with a southern drawl instead of the traditional British accent.

“It is a really fun take on everything and put a cool spin on it,” Wilburn said. “The audience is able to be more tied into it because it is different than what they’ve seen.”

The play, which opens Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Louis Armstrong Theater, began production last spring with casting. The road to opening night has been a long one and similar to a professional production, said cast member Seth Burton. 

Once casted, each student was given the time to become familiar with the piece. To fully prepare for the production, cast members attended a workshop during the summer and are enrolled in a Shakespearean class throughout the fall semester.

“The Comedy of Errors,” one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known pieces, does not reflect his popular dramas. Cast members such as Mallory Caillaud-Jones, Burton and Wilburn, however, think the comedic relief – which sets it apart from other works by Shakespeare – is reason enough to come see the production. But if that isn’t a big enough reason, then the unique portrayal should be, they said.

“The nice thing about Shakespeare is that it really lends itself to almost any era,” Burton said. “(The Wild West theme) brings an aspect of familiarity that most people don’t get when seeing Shakespeare.”

Since 1994, the GVSU theater department has hosted the Shakespeare Festival each fall. The weeklong festival includes workshops, learning opportunities and a performance by students.

This year, the festival runs Sept. 26 until Oct. 5.

Annually, high schools from surrounding areas attend the production and by adapting a different theme to each play, Caillaud-Jones said, it makes learning the different plays easier.

“Shakespeare is hard to get an audience for because people think of Shakespeare as very boring,” Caillaud-Jones said. “Shakespeare is really supposed to be performed – it isn’t meant to just be read.”

Due to his work’s relatable quality, numerous Shakespearean themes are intertwined in many films, stories and books. The cast is hoping this quality radiates from their take on the classic tale, while still educating the audience.

“A part of the theater department here is to educate as well,” Wilburn said. “If we do not (perform) as well-known Shakespeare plays, it is going to shed some light onto the Shakespearean world and will introduce new ideas.”

The festival’s goal is to educate, and through all the various events happening the theater department hopes to continue to spread the words of Shakespeare.

Pre-sale tickets for “The Comedy of Errors” are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, faculty and alumni and $6 for students and groups. Tickets at the door are an additional dollar.

For more information on the GVSU Shakespeare Festival and “The Comedy of Errors” visit www.gvsu.edu/shakes/.

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