Duke Orsino Solinus

The just but merciful ruler of Ephesus, in love with Olivia

Lady Olivia

A noblewoman and wealthy heiress

Sir Toby Belch

A nobleman with a drinking problem, uncle to Olivia

Sir Andrew Aguecheek

A nobleman and friend to Sir Toby

Viola

A shipwrecked noblewoman, sister to Sebastian

Sebastian

A shipwrecked nobleman, brother to Viola

Antipholus of Ephesus

The twin brother of Antipholus of Syracuse and the son of Egeon; he is a well-respected merchant in Ephesus and Adriana's husband.

Antipholus of Syracuse

The twin brother of Antipholus of Ephesus and the son of Egeon; he has been traveling the world with his slave, Dromio of Syracuse, trying to find his long-lost brother and mother.

Adriana

Wife of Antipholus of Ephesus

Luciana

Adriana's unmarried sister and the object of Antipholus of Syracuse's affections.

Aegeon

A Syracusan merchant, in search of the missing half of his family; he has been sentenced to death as the play begins.

Aemilia

The Abbess of Ephesus, dedicated to holy service after being separated from her family

Balthasar

A trouble-making merchant in Syracuse.

Angelo

A goldsmith in Syracuse and a friend to Antipholus of Ephesus.

Chap Mercer, II

A traveling missionary to whom Angelo is in debt.

Fabiana

Owner of the nightclub The Porpentine and friend of Antipholus of Ephesus.

Feste

A jester and frequent performer at The Porpentine nightclub

Antonio

A marauder with a price on his head who rescues Sebastian

Captain Valentine

A officer in the Duke's Navy who rescues Viola

Dromio of Syracuse

The bumbling, comical slave of Antipholus of Syracuse. He is the twin brother of Dromio of Ephesus.

Dromio of Ephesus

The bumbling, comical slave of Antipholus of Ephesus. He is the Syracusan Dromio's twin brother.

Malvolio

Olivia's butler

Maria

Olivia's lady's maid

Curio

Servant to the Duke

Luce

Antipholus of Ephesus' maid and Dromio of Ephesus' fiancee.

Taken from shakespeare.org.uk

Act I

Duke Solinus, ruler of Ephesus, presides over the trial of Egeon of Syracuse. Syracusians are not allowed in Ephesus, so Egeon has been detained. When asked why he is now in Ephesus, Egeon explains how he is searching for his lost twin sons and their twin servants. 

Twenty three years before, Egeon had lost his wife and one of their identical twin sons (along with the boy's slave) in a storm at sea. Egeon had brought up the surviving boy and his slave. At eighteen, they had gone in search of their lost brothers. After no word from them, Egeon had also left home to seek news in Ephesus. Solinus is softened by the story and allows Egeon until sunset to try to raise 1,000 marks as a ransom or else he must die.

Meanwhile, in a nearby marketplace, a merchant has befriended two tourists: Antipholus of Syracuse (Egeon's son) and his servant companion, Dromio. Learning of the ban on Syracusians, they put on local dress before going to explore the town. Unknown to them, their twin brothers (with identical names) have been living there after being saved from the storm by fishermen.  

Act II

Antipholus of Syracuse is very surprised to be accosted by Dromio of Ephesus. Dromio is angry that his master has not returned home to his wife, Adriana, for dinner. The likeness of the Dromio twins, and also the sons of Egeon, leads to a series of confusions. This is especially true when Antipholus of Syracuse dines with his sister-in-law and falls in love with her sister, Luciana. His servant, Dromio of Syracuse, refuses to open the door to anyone. He bars the door even when Antipholus of Ephesus returns home with his merchant friends. This exclusion enrages Antipholus of Ephesus and leads him to dine with his friend, the courtesan.

Act III–IV

A gold chain that Antipholus of Ephesus has ordered is delivered to Antipholus of Syracuse instead. The goldsmith’s claim for payment leads to the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant. They refuse to pay for a chain that they did not receive. Adriana, fearing for her husband's sanity, gets the schoolmaster to exorcise him and Dromio (both of Ephesus). While they are under restraint, their Syracusian brothers cause panic in the town. The people think that the Ephesian brothers have somehow escaped. The Syracusian brothers, also frightened, take refuge in a priory or abbey.

Act V

The sunset hour of Egeon's sentence is soon approaching. The Duke returns, but is stopped by Adriana, who appeals for aid for her husband. The Ephesian twins escape their bonds and arrive to claim justice. Egeon recognises them, or so he thinks, as the boys he brought up in Syracuse. Solinus, the Duke, sends for the Abbess, who appears with the second pair of twins. She further amazes everyone by recognising Egeon and revealing herself as Emilia, his long-lost wife. She had entered a religious order after surviving the storm and fearing that all her family had died.

Here is the working version of the script. It will be adjusted once we have final casting. Some lines will be shortened/reassigned. We may also mix in additional scenes/lines from Twelfth Night. This is a working document.

Remember- you must sign up using the digital form before attending auditions.

Actors should prepare a monologue from this document. After everyone performs their first monologue, people can try others as time allows.

You will perform much better if you memorize your monologue.

You will also perform much better if you become familiar with the meanings of all the words. No Fear Shakespeare has a good online translation where the Shakespeare is side-by-side with modern language. It's a very helpful tool. Use it.

Taken from sparknotes.com

The Comedy of Errors is generally assumed to be one of Shakespeare's early plays, (perhaps even his very first) and its emphasis on slapstick over verbal humor (in contrast with later comedies) has led many critics to term it an "apprentice comedy." The exact date of composition is unknown: It was first performed on December 28, 1594, at the Gray's Inn Christmas Revels, to an audience that would have been largely composed of lawyers and law students. Attempts have been made to date it by references to historical events mentioned in the text (notably in Act III Scene ii, when Dromio describes the fearsome Nell/Luce with references to European politics and geography), but the references are so vague that any exact dating amounts to guesswork.

As with many of his plays, Shakespeare drew on classical sources for the plot of The Comedy of Errors. The bare bones of the story are drawn from the Roman comedy Menaechmi, written by the ancient dramatist Plautus (c.254–184 BCE); Shakespeare might have read the play either in the original Latin or in an English translation that was published in 1594 but may have circulated in manuscript form before that year. In any case, the English playwright made a number of changes to the original story, including the addition of a second set of identical twins (the Dromios), the expansion of Adriana's character and the creation of her sister, Luciana, and, finally, the creation of the backstory involving Egeon and Emilia. The play also draws on a number of other sources–the lock-out scene, where Antipholus of Ephesus is locked out of his home for dinner, resembles a scene in another Plautine work, Amphitruo, in which a master is kept out of his own house while the God Jupiter impersonates him. The general tone of The Comedy of Errors is drawn from Italian comedy of the period, the shrewish wife is a characteristic figure in English comedy, and a number of the ideas about marriage are drawn from early humanists like Erasmus of Rotterdam. The play has always been very popular with audiences, if somewhat less so with critics, and in 1938, the plot was borrowed by Rodgers and Hart for their musical, The Boys from Syracuse.