The Comedy of Errors and Macbeth will be performed by The Company of Teens on Thursday, July 13 and Friday, July 14 at the Abbey Theatre.

By presenting two shorter versions of these popular plays they hope to allow for an evening of variety performed by the groups of 14 to 19 year olds.

The Comedy of Errors centres on mistaken identity and confusion, when Antipholus and his servant Dromio travel from Syracuse to Ephesus, the home town of their identical twins.

Not only have they been separated at birth, but they have been given the same names. The inevitable misunderstandings lead to complete chaos, of course.

In complete contrast, Macbeth examines the destructive effect of power on a successful and ambitious man. Returning triumphant from battle, Macbeth meets three supernatural beings who predict great things for him. When the first prediction comes true almost immediately he is encouraged by his his wife to pursue his ambition of becoming king. However their violent deeds lead them both into a downward spiral of obsession, madness and ultimately death.

The productions also have very different settings. Alex Bell, director of The Comedy of Errors, has chosen to place his play against the background of the swinging sixties, while Tina Swain, who is directing Macbeth, has opted for a dystopian Mad Max sort of World, where casual violence and acquisition of power are the norm.

Abbey Theatre, Westminster Lodge, Holywell Hill, St Albans, AL1 2DL. Details: abbeytheatre.org.uk