Francesca Goodridge directs First Encounters: The Comedy of Errors in The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, from 16 July - 4 September 2027, before the production heads out on tour.
The campaign image gets straight to the joke: two identical figures in red, back to back in a paper boat on open water, each looking out through a telescope. That is the engine of Shakespeare's first comedy - twins separated by a shipwreck as babies, who end up in the same city with no idea the other is there.
Antipholus of Syracuse has spent five years looking for his brother and arrives in Ephesus with his attendant Dromio. Everyone he meets mistakes him for the twin he has not found yet, and the confusion piles up through thefts, wrongful accusations, arrests and attractions that should not be happening. Being a Syracusan in Ephesus also carries a price on his head.
Goodridge is artistic director of the Sherman Theatre, with which the production is staged. The text is edited by Robin Belfield, Hayley Grindle designs the set and Jess Williams is movement director.
After Stratford, the show tours to RSC Associate Schools, Associate Regional Theatres and community venues, with dates and venues still to be announced. The tour is supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Priority booking opens on Monday 5 October 2026 and public booking on Wednesday 21 October. The production is part of the RSC's 2027 Stratford season.
