Envision a stage littered with sand and actors dressed in tie-dyed T-shirts - it's a far call from the more obvious picture which comes to mind when thinking about a Shakespearean play.

But that's exactly what audiences will get when they go to see the BoarsHead Theatre rendition of William Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors."

Co-director Geoffrey Sherman said he and his partner Diana Van Fossen chose to set the play in modern Greece because the contemporary setting makes it easier for the audience to understand.

"You look for a modern parallel of the story that's being told," Sherman said. "We initially started off with Florida spring break and then realized that people go to the Greek islands to vacation too."

"Comedy of Errors" is a case of mistaken identity. A family consisting of two parents and twin brothers was separated at sea 25 years ago. The father, Egeon, sets off to find his wife and his missing son, Antipholus of Syracuse.

In his search, Egeon travels to Syracuse but is condemned to death for violating a travel ban between Syracuse and its rival city, Ephesus - Egeon's hometown. He is given 24 hours to raise bail.

Unknown to Egeon, Antipholus of Syracuse is also out looking for the other half of his family - his father and twin brother, Antipholus of Ephesus. Upon entering Ephesus, the Syracuse brother is mistaken as the Ephesus brother by Adriana, the wife of Antipholus of Ephesus.

The case of mistaken identity escalates as each character acts under their own suppositions and misunderstanding arises.

Actor Neil Necastro, who plays Antipholus of Syracuse, said learning how to perform the Shakespearean English was the biggest challenge of the show.

It's important that the actors know what they are saying because if they are confused, the audience doesn't have a chance in the world of understanding, Necastro said.

Sherman said "clarity of intent" is important because if the actors know what they are saying, they can correspond their movements and gestures to physically demonstrate the meanings.

"Shakespeare is a little bit of a foreign language," Sherman said. "It's real characters and real people who happen to be talking in a former version of English, but it's still English and very accessible."

Nathan Hosner, who plays Antipholus of Ephesus, said the largest challenge he faced was remaining true to the story and the characters - he had to avoid getting caught up in the comedy.

In order to make his character real and not slapstick, Hosner said he focused on the script.

Necastro said one of the best parts of "Comedy of Errors" is that, although it is a farce and very humorous, Shakespeare was able to include a message to his audience.

But the actors differ on what they think the message is.

Necastro said "Comedy of Errors" shows the importance of family in forming a sense of self.

Yet Sherman said he takes away a criticism of the role money plays in society. He said the show demonstrates how everything - even human beings - has become an economic commodity.

But the overall point of the show is to have fun and enjoy the entertainment, Hosner said.

"People think of Shakespeare as academic, but his plays were like the sitcoms of his day," he said. "Shakespeare was competing with bear-baiting and cock fighting, so he had to do something fun."