(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – June 14, 2010) The 14th Annual Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival will begin on a lighthearted note with a family-friendly staging of “The Comedy of Errors” weekends from July 1 through 18 at California Lutheran University.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company will present the play in the style of commedia dell’arte, making it a fast-paced, very physical show that is heavy on belly laughs. The characters, some in masks, will go into the audience to plead their cases. The green show, or pre-show production, will introduce commedia dell’arte to the crowd in a fun way involving audience participation.

One of Shakespeare’s shortest plays, this is a great show for families.

“The Comedy of Errors” is a tale of mistaken identity involving two sets of identical twins separated at birth. Egeon, the father of one of the sets of twins, is condemned to death but is given a day to raise the ransom required to save him from execution.

Laurie Walters, who played daughter Joanie Bradford on the television show “Eight is Enough,” portrays the Abbess, who helps bring about a resolution in the end.

CLU alumnus Kevin P. Kern, artistic director of the new Pensacola Shakespeare Theatre in Florida, is directing “The Comedy of Errors.” A member of the theatre faculty at the University of West Florida, Kern is a veteran of the Kingsmen stage and a former director of the company’s Apprentice Company and Summer Theatre Camp. He made his directorial debut with the festival in 2008 with a production of “As You Like It” set in the 1970s.

Performances are slated at 8 p.m. July 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 in CLU’s scenic Kingsmen Park. The festival grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking. Pre-show entertainment featuring Renaissance music, comic Shakespearean improvisations and wandering performers begins at 6:45 p.m.

Tickets are $15 and free for those under 18. Reserved lawn box seating is $60 to $75. Parking is available at the corner of Mountclef Boulevard and Olsen Road.

The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company is the professional theatre company of CLU. In addition to producing one of the area’s most popular outdoor theatrical events, it provides apprentice programs, an educational tour program and summer theater camps for youth.

For more information, visit http://www.kingsmenshakespeare.org or call (805) 493-3455.