POTSDAM -- The Acting Company, the widely-traveled national touring theater group, will present two Shakespeare plays with a modern twist while in residence at SUNY Potsdam Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 21 and 22.

Community Performance Series will host the company for two performances, presenting "Romeo and Juliet" on Monday and "The Comedy of Errors" on Tuesday. Both plays will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus.

Pre-show talks will be offered before each performance, led by faculty members from the College's Department of Theater and Dance. Jay Pecora will speak about "Romeo and Juliet," and Kim Bouchard will discuss "The Comedy of Errors." Additionally, a "talk back" after-show discussion will be held with Acting Company cast members following each performance.

"Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare's iconic romantic tragedy, tells the story of innocent young lovers falling victim to family hatred and cruel destiny.

"The Comedy of Errors," tells the story of two sets of identical twins tragically separated at birth, leading to a series of wild and hilarious mishaps based on mistaken identities.

With its promotion, "It's a Twin Thing," CPS will encourage audience members to come dressed as twins to "The Comedy of Errors." Each pair that attends the performance dressed as twins will receive a $25 gift certificate to CPS to be used for a future performance.

A free photo booth will be set up in the lobby of Snell Theater to document the participants and their twin costumes. Patrons are invited to stay for the post-show "talk back," where they will be able to share their twin costumes and speak with the actors.

These classic Shakespearean tales will be brought to life by The Acting Company, hailed by the New York Times as "the major touring classical theatre in the United States."

As part of their SUNY Potsdam residency, members of the company will conduct two free workshops on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

"From Page to Stage" will take place from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in Kellas Hall Room 103 and will focus on the process of taking the words in a script and transforming them into the play you see on stage.

"Stage Combat" will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Dunn Dance Studio and will introduce the basic principles of hand-to-hand combat.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting the CPS Box Office, located in the lobby of the Snell Music Theater, SUNY Potsdam, or Northern Music & Video in downtown Potsdam. Tickets start at $5 for youth, $16 for seniors and students and $20 for adults. A special theatre group rate for drama organizations is also available, with tickets starting at $5. Tickets are available by calling the CPS Box Office at 267-2277 or by purchasing online at www.cpspotsdam.org.