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Sun, June 21, 2026
In its 11th year of presenting free Shakespeare plays, Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park will present The Comedy of Errors two consecutive weekends in June — June 20, 21, 27, 28, – beginning at 3 p.m. at Mingus Park, 725 N. 10th Street, Coos Bay.
The Comedy of Errors tells the tale of two sets of identical twins accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus and his servant Dromio are traveling from Syracuse to search for their missing family. They arrive in the Wild West town of Ephesus and try to lay low, because the Sheriff must enforce a law barring any Syracusans from entering Ephesus upon pain of death, but to their surprise, the people in town all seem to know them well! This is because, unbeknownst to the Syracuseans, Ephesus happens to be the home of their long-lost twins, also called Antipholus and Dromio. A series of wild mistaken identity mishaps lead to confusion,violence, arrest, marital strife, and false accusations of insanity and/or demonic possession, eventually ending with a family reunion of epic proportions.
The venue is outdoors and is lawn seating so audience members should provide their own chairs or blankets and dress appropriately for the weather. There is no charge but donations are gratefully accepted to help cover costs of scenery, costumes, etc. The actors, director, and all those who are involved in the productions are volunteers and receive no compensation. The actors come from the community, people from all different walks of life and a wide range of ages, including experienced actors and those new to the craft. “Part of our mission statement is to be able to give opportunities for those interested in Shakespeare and to make inclusive theater available for our community, especially those who couldn’t otherwise afford to attend the theater,” said Kristin Hovenkotter Greco, president of the volunteer board of directors. “Our original thought was: this is something other communities have, our communities deserve it too. We wanted to provide a place for people from the different theater groups to come together and do outdoor performing arts for our community, to collaborate on free cultural opportunities.”
In addition to bringing members of the various local theater groups together in this effort, the group has developed a partnership with Southwestern Oregon Community College, which provides indoor rehearsal space, community education classes about Shakespeare, a theater production class, and SWOCC staff and students are involved in the plays.
In 2015 the group received a grant from Oregon State Parks’ Art in the Park program. The first presentation in 2016 was a compilation of scenes from several different plays performed by the different theater groups presented at Shore Acres State Park, including scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” In 2017, the play moved to Mingus Park, which has become home to the group who has produced a live Shakespeare play every year since. Most of these productions can be viewed on their YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0X2HV1pVSokfWK0mmdkamA?app=desktop.
Coos Bay Shakespeare in the Park is a 501(c)3 non-profit. In addition to individual donations, a number of area businesses and grants support their work. This year’s sponsors include The Oregon Community Fund Fred W. Fields Fund, The Coos County Cultural Coalition, the City of Coos Bay Public Works and Community Development Department, Banner Bank, 7 Devils Brewing Co., and Roto Rooter.
For additional information, please visit www.coosbayshakespeare.com