“Good. It’s the First Time I’ve Read Anything Like That in 20 Years.”
The final week of September closed on one of the most moving moments of the month. The group returned to Adriana’s “bitch-out” monologue—her furious, pleading speech to a husband she doesn’t realize is the wrong twin—and took turns reading aloud. One participant, visibly nervous but determined, stood and read for the first time in years. When she finished, she smiled and said, “Good. It’s the first time I’ve read anything like that in 20 years.” The room broke into applause. Another followed, saying afterward, “It felt good—getting some frustration out. I was like, ‘You’re gonna listen to me.’”
As each performer took a turn, the ensemble found new meaning in Adriana’s words. The line “I am not Adriana” sparked debate across the room. “I’m brand new,” one said. “She’s stepping out of herself,” another added. Someone else compared it to Beyoncé’s alter ego: “Sasha Fierce.” Another offered, “I’m not going to act like your wife—I’m not going to act like someone you recognize.” The group studied the text closely—one even pointed out that there’s no question mark in the line—and agreed that its meaning depends on how it’s played.
When the reading was done, the group began to play. They swapped roles, acted out scenes, and even invented a spontaneous game inspired by the movie Scream. It was chaotic, hilarious, and perfectly fitting for a play built on confusion.
The evening closed with laughter and pride. The ensemble had not only found their way through Shakespeare’s wildest farce but had discovered new confidence in their own voices along the way.
September was a month of new connections, and the group is really loving The Comedy of Errors. Through The Comedy of Errors, the ensemble explored themes of identity, love, and misunderstanding—finding that Shakespeare’s four-century-old confusions still can be funny in modern times.
“This is my outside-inside,” one participant said early in the month, and by its end, that feeling had deepened into a collective truth. As October begins, the ensemble stands ready to bring The Comedy of Errors to life—on its feet, in full voice, and with the same laughter that started it all.