Meet Rebecca and Giles, Performing in This Year’s Shakespeare on the Lawn
With just days to go until the first performance of this year’s Shakespeare on the Lawn next week, we met with two characters from The Comedy of Errors, Antipholus S and Dromio, played by Year 9’s Rebecca and Giles.
We joined them as they rehearsed under the shade of the trees on the Chapel lawn. With props beginning to be placed in position it was the perfect opportunity for actors to go through their lines, consider their entrance and exits, as well as their physical position on the ‘stage’. Out on the lawn it was also the perfect chance to practice voice projection, remembering that some of their audience will be some distance away as the lawn is packed out with audience members on both nights traditionally!
They were also performing without scripts for the first time, with lots of enthusiasm and energy; they embraced the opportunity and it was an impressive run through of a particularly challenging scene for all.
Talking to Rebecca and Giles, it was clear to see how excited they are about next week’s performances.
Antipholus S – played by Rebecca
Antipholus of Syracuse enters The Comedy of Errors as one of the identical twins at the heart of the play’s chaos. He is shaped by a deep curiosity, a sharp intelligence and a lingering sense of displacement. Thoughtful and constantly searching, he arrives in Ephesus determined to find his long‑lost twin brother, and much of his behaviour throughout the play is driven by this quest for identity and belonging.
“The rehearsals have been a really good experience, and they’ve really helped me understand the language of Shakespeare – I wasn’t very comfortable with the language at first, and now I’m really enjoying it. It’s lovely to be outside rehearsing too, it makes it more real and you can imagine performing on the night! I’m probably most excited about the whole performance coming together; we’ve all worked really hard, and spent a lot of time together making sure everything’s right; from acting to props to costumes – it’s been brilliant to be part of this.”
Dromio – played by Giles
Dromio of Syracuse is Antipholus’s loyal servant and one half of a pair of identical twins, bringing much of the play’s humour and energy to the stage. Known for his quick wit, sharp wordplay and fast‑paced banter, he acts as the comic engine of The Comedy of Errors. Despite often finding himself confused by the chaos around him, Dromio remains devoted to Antipholus and does his best to help, even when he doesn’t fully understand the situation. His lively personality and comedic timing make him one of the most entertaining and memorable characters in the play.
“Most of my scenes involve me running around – my character has a lot of energy and expression! I’ve enjoyed getting to know everyone in the play, and been able to spend time with people I wouldn’t usually have had the chance to. We’ve had to learn how to work together, to understand each others’ characters, know how to react on stage – even when we’re not speaking in that particular part of the scene. My character has quite a challenging accent, but it’s been a great experience learning how to deliver that. I’ve really enjoyed the humour in the play too, it’s made rehearsals fun – and I know we’ll all feel the same way on performance nights.”
Make sure you come along on 30 June and 1 July; tickets for both performances are selling fast, so make sure you get yours at ticketsource.com/woodbridge-school-drama/.
