“Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art”
Summer Shakespeare 2025
The Comedy of Errors
Summer Shakespeare Theatre will present one of the Bard’s most popular plays, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, July 18th -27th in the Appleton North High School auditorium, 5000 North Ballard Road. This marks the 24th year of the program sponsored by the Fox Valley Summer School Consortium. A cast and crew made up of students from area high schools have spent six weeks learning about Shakespeare and the theatre of the Renaissance while preparing a play for public performance. Appleton North High School theatre instructor, Ron Parker, began the program in the Fox Valley after founding and directing a similar program in Kenosha for 13 years. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for students interested in theatre to study and perform the work of the greatest playwright in the English language. In addition, students from various schools in the area have a chance to meet and work together. Our previous seasons’ productions have been very well received. We look forward to even better things in the future.”
Audiences who attend this summer’s performances of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS will be treated to delightful costumes, scenery, and staging creating a backdrop for Shakespeare's story of madcap mayhem as only he can tell it. In addition, one of the student actors will portray the Bard of Avon himself and will provide commentary as well as interact with playgoers during the show. Audiences will be seated directly on the stage to be nearer to the action which was typical of performances in Shakespeare’s era.
One of Shakespeare’s earliest plays (and his shortest) THE COMEDY OF ERRORS is a whirlwind of mistaken identities and mind-bending mix-ups. Two sets of identical twins, separated at birth, find themselves unknowingly in the same city, setting off a cascade of confusion. As chaos erupts in the streets of Ephesus, ties of friendship and family are stretched to their limits with uproarious and unexpected results. Director Ron Parker states, “THE COMEDY OF ERRORS shows the genius of a young William Shakespeare flexing his creative muscles at the start of his playwriting career. In the process, he introduces all the great themes and ideas that he will fully develop in later, more mature works such as HAMLET and THE TEMPEST: the search for identity, the joy of reconciliation, the duality of humanity’s selfish and selfless natures, the crippling effects of loss and the power of love to overcome our loneliness and despair, just name a few. And he does this while telling us an utterly ridiculous and raucous tale that is pure, hilarious, unadulterated farce! Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of Shakespeare or discovering this crazy classic for the first time, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS promises an evening of laughs, levity and love wrapped up in the language of the greatest writer in the English language!”
Performance times are 7:00 P.M. on July 18th, 19th, 25th, and 26th and at 2:00 P.M on July 20th and 27th. Admission is $11.00. Tickets can be purchased at the door one hour before performance time. Seating is limited, and all seats are general admission.
Further information can be found at:
https://foxvalleysummershakespeare.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/summershakespearetheatre
https://www.instagram.com/summer_shakespeare_theatre/
https://www.appletonnorththeatre.org/summer-shakespeare-program
Summer Shakespeare Theatre, a summer school course open to high school students from all over the Fox Valley, is holding a car wash this Saturday, June 28th from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic, 625 Hyland Ave, Kaukauna.
Wouldn't it be nice to clean your car for a good cause? It really is amazing that so many young people give up their summer to learn about and perform Shakespeare and then are willing to work to raise funds for the privilege!! We hope to see you this Saturday and please pass this information along to anyone and everyone you can think of with a car, truck, motorcycle, RV, or semi. We'll wash anything with wheels!
Stop by the Kaukauna Veterinary Clinic this Saturday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and get soaped for Shakespeare! If you can’t make this one, we will be holding another car wash on Sunday, July 6th!
Check us out at the Appleton Downtown Farmer's Market on July 5th!
Don’t miss our upcoming production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, July 18th-27th on the Appleton North High School stage.
Follow SUMMER SHAKES on social media:
2025 Drama Banquet
That’s a wrap on an incredible year for Appleton North Theatre!
On Saturday May 17, we gathered to celebrate our amazing students at our annual banquet—a night filled with laughter, memories, heartfelt awards, and unforgettable skits that captured the spirit of this season.
A special congratulations to our seniors—your dedication, creativity, and leadership have left a lasting impact on this program. We can’t wait to see where your talents take you next. You’ll always have a place in our theatre family.
Scholarship and Award Winners for 2025:
David Hartman Memorial Scholarship: Maggie Hendrick
Hannah Twomey Award: Emmy Streu
Roger Danielson Award: Bennett Boggs, Phillip Moran & Rain Branstetter
Claire Williamson Award: Kai Handwerker
Dramatic Arts Award: Fern Frey, Maggie Hendrick & Charlie Hintz
To every cast member, crew member, pit musician, parent volunteer, and supporter: Thank you for making this year one to remember! Your hard work, passion, and love for the arts continue to inspire. Here’s to the magic we made this year—and the stories yet to be told!
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Contact Information
Ron Parker, director
ANHS Theatre Department, 5000 Ballard Rd, Appleton, WI 54913
920-852-5405 (school main office)
Ticket Box Office 920-852-5405 ext. 53115
Website, photo, or media questions? anhs.bolt@gmail.com