Laurel Koerner is Professor of Theatre Arts in Acting and Directing and Chair of the Theatre Arts Department.  She has directed over 18 full-length plays and produced numerous student shows and other projects. She enjoys working with student actors in the classroom and rehearsal studio, mentoring student directors, and designing sets. Laurel holds an MFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and an MA in Theatre from Bowling Green State University.

Hannah is a senior biology major also studying chemistry and environmental science. She has enjoyed stage managing in previous Dordt productions, including an ASM position in The Importance of Being Earnest and SM for Dancing at Lughnasa in addition to other positions in various plays. As with Hannah's previous experiences with theatre (stage managing or otherwise), she always enjoy working with a group of people who shows up for each other and enjoys their time together. 

Creative Process:

The generative process of this play challenged me to think outside the box in terms of communication and in paying careful attention to the difference between ideas we wanted to implement and ideas that were just produced.  In addition, my personal goals for communication and leadership are always to try to make the process as easy as it can be for everyone involved and to foster attitudes excited to work and care for each other. 

Reghan is a freshman at Dordt majoring in History and Digital Media Production. Her favorite shows that she has been in are The Music Man and The Wizard of Oz. She loves working with tech and the actors and making costumes for Comedy of Errors. 

Creative Vision:

I helped during the Christmas break intensive! It was a blast - working with the actors on creative activities was really cool! 

Ethan Koerner is a 2005 graduate of Dordt College and current Technical Director and theatre instructor at Northwestern College. Previous Design credits at Dordt include Arms and the Man, Jane Eyre, and Into the Woods.

Creative Vision:

My goal was to create a playground for the director and the actors to explore and delight the audience with all the surprises that they will discover. 

Jakob is a Junior at Dordt who is majoring in both Theatre Studies and Studio Art. He has been involved with several other Dordt mainstage productions in both acting and design roles, most recently last falls production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. For Comedy of Errors he has enjoyed working on such a large set employing a variety of interesting techniques to create a cohesive and refined look.

Creative Vision:

Through my assistant scenic work I wanted to make sure and create effective finishes, textures and colors to bring to life the scale and aesthetic of the set design. While doing this I wanted to spend time detailing and making the world seem 'made' and lived in, like each of the doors and the railings were at one point hand crafted by an artisan. Finding a balance of technique, texture, and time I think that the set comes to life with the action on stage as the actors inhabit the world of the set. My allied crafts work on the other hand was a lot less refined for an aesthetic effect. The thematic elements my objects are used in the context of require more comedic appearances and function. This allowed me to think more creatively and loosely about each of the objects that I made. While they still had to inhabit the world of the play and the set I was able to use more liberty and approach them from a different angle as my scenic painting and finishing work.

Becky comes to us with a background in performing arts, starting at a young age when she started attending Performing arts schools in Milwaukee, WI. She then attended Northwestern College. After college, Becky and her husband Vaughn stayed in Sioux County, where she continued to contribute to the arts community through teaching and coaching dance, working with the Orange City Arts Council, and taking leadership roles in the Tulip Festival Night Show. She has also worked in L.A. on films as a Key Production Assistant and as a 2nd A.D. Becky is pursuing her MFA in Theatre at the University of Idaho in costume and scenic design. 

Creative Vision:

The design concept for the costume in “The Comedy of Errors” by William Shakespeare is inspired by the 1920s silent movie era and 1920 circus elements, emphasizing colors and textures to bring out the characters' personalities. The costumes are designed to fit each character's role, combining traditional and modern elements to create a unique and contemporary look. Through intricate details and accessories, the costumes will help to enhance the play's comedic elements while also reflecting the characters' individuality and the play's themes while finding a delicate balance of the director's vision of a 1920 silent movie/circus.

Madeline Hofer is a junior digital media major with a business minor. Last semester she acted in the Student One Acts and Dordt's production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Over her past couple of years at Dordt, she has stage-managed, operated the light board, and built costumes for shows. Her favorite part of the Comedy of Errors process has been seeing what other designers have been working on at the weekly production meetings. 

Creative Vision:

In my role as Assistant Costume Designer, I have been working with the costume designer Becky Donahue to put together a cohesive vision for the show. Since the theme was 1920s it has been fun to try and work out what that means for specific characters in our world. My favorite ones have been The Headsman and Dr. Pinch. 

Jonathan Sabo received his MFA in Scene Design from Wayne State University in 1986 and has since been teaching and designing in academic theatre. He has taught classes in Introduction to Theatre, Stagecraft, Introduction to Production Design, Scene and Lighting Design, Senior Seminar, Christians in Theatre, Stage Management, Introduction to Musical Theatre, History of Theatre I & II, Period Styles for the Theatre, and numerous Special Topics courses.

Throughout his career he has designed scenery and lighting for more than 200 professional and academic theatre productions. Professionally he has worked with the following theatre companies: The Dayton Playhouse in Dayton, OH; The Little Theatre on the Square, Sullivan, IL; Festival 56 in Princeton, IL; The Clinton Area Showboat in Clinton, IA; The Round Barn Theatre in Nappanee, IN; Rochester Children’s Theatre in Rochester, NY; Access Theatre Company’s production of Storm Reading, which toured throughout the United States and Europe; and Ensemble Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA. 

He continues to freelance design and is a journeyman with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Local 187 in South Bend, IN. He and his wife Jennifer live in Mishawaka. 

Creative Vision:

Primarily, the design should illuminate the story with warm colors and  cues that will enhance the spirit of fun found in a circus/carnival.

Teresa TerHaar is in her 19th year at Dordt University. Previously, she taught at Bowling Green State University, Calvin University, and Trinity Christian College. Teresa has directed productions that range from a docu-drama musical, Ten November, to Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, to chamber theatre with Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe last fall marked her 27th full production as director. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, gardening, and horseback riding with her two girls. As always, Teresa’s family, Dan, Katie, and Livy give her “strength for today and bright hope for the future.”

Malorie is a junior Accounting major with minors in Finance and Theatre Arts. Her favorite show that she's been apart of while at Dordt was Dancing at Lughnasa, where she got to be on hair and makeup crew. Other shows that she's been apart of include; Peter and the Starcatcher, Our Town, A Fight for the Ages, and many more. Her favorite part of working on this show was learning about Ragtime 80's music.

Creative Vision:

If I had to pick three words that I wanted my design to be, I would pick silly, cohesive, ragtime. These words encompass what I wanted, as well as what the result was. I spent many hours scouring the internet for the perfect ragtime music, as well as reading through the script trying to identify where we needed to have sounds. I worked with Laurel to discover how to effectively fit my ideas with the show, and I am very excited to share the end product with you all. 

Abby Grace is a sophomore studying Art Education with a minor in Theatre Arts. She has served a variety of roles while at Dordt, including Hair and Makeup crew for Our Town, Costume, Hair, And Makeup designer for I Never Sang for My Father, as well as acting in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and Student-directed One Acts. Working on Comedy of Errors, she is most excited about combining period specific looks with the comedic nature of the story through her designs. 

Creative Vision:

In designing for this show, my hope was that through the blending of period appropriate looks with the comedy of Shakespeare the story would more fully come to life for the audience. I worked hard to create looks that helped the actors morph into their characters while fitting into the world of the play. 

Maggie is a current junior at Dordt University and is studying Elementary Education and Physical Education. She has been involved in many different productions both in High School and in college. She has been a part of the productions of CLUE, Little Shop of Horrors, Donovan's Daughters, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Importance of Being Earnest, Our Town, Dancing at Lughnasa, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and now The Comedy of Errors. 

Her favorite part about designing for the show was making and finding goofy props and see the humor come out of everyday items through the actors. 

Creative Vision:

My vision for this show was to take simple household items and turn them into comedic bits. For example, I took toilet paper tubes and created binoculars. For this production I have also taken the time to look into the 1920's and compare those everyday items to the 2020's version of those same items. It was amazing to see the difference in 100 years. 

I found much joy in creating/finding the props for the show and it was a much different experience than any other I have had before because everything was over the top and funny!

Elise K Stiemsma is a senior studying English: Literature. She loves Shakespeare so this was right up her alley! 

Creative Vision:

I assured the cast with any and all language issues!  :)

Robin is in her ninth year at Dordt serving as office and marketing manager for the Theatre Department and instructor of dance classes. Robin holds an M.A. in Dance Education from the University of Northern Colorado. When not doing dance or theatre things, Robin is spending time behind a camera with her photography side hustle (www.robinsuingphoto.com) ;-) or with her family of boys; if she's not in a theatre she'll probably be at a hockey rink! She has been so thankful to her whole family

for all the support throughout this journey of life!