Taming of the Shrew
January 2017
Voices Found Repertory continues its first season with a love story between two sociopaths. So, you know, a romantic comedy. Directed by Sam Robinson, this explosive tale has been a pop culture staple since its debut in the 1590s, inspiring the musical Kiss Me, Kate and the 1999 rom-com hit 10 Things I Hate About You. Its controversial depiction of a relationship between two terrible people is a play within a play, and preserving its original introduction creates a safe space to explore its themes of love, hate, materialism, gender roles, and finding “the one” in unexpected places.
When Christopher Sly passes out in a bar, a local nobleman plays a trick on him and convinces him that he is actually a lord recently awaked from a coma. A troupe of actors (in on the nobleman’s joke) performs a play for the confused Sly: The Taming of the Shrew. This play within a play is about Katharina, the headstrong and violent daughter of a wealthy lord in Padua, Italy. Her father has sworn that until she is married, he will not marry off his younger (and gentler) daughter Bianca to any of her many suitors. Katharina’s temper and wit have made her infamous across Padua, and it is thought no one will ever be brave enough to court her… Until Petruchio crashes the party. Loud, brazen, and utterly insane, Petruchio courts Katharina with confidence, and the two find a bizarre connection in their shared enjoyment of chaos. When he takes her back home to “tame” her, things get hairy — and they wouldn’t want it any other way.
“When you strip The Taming of the Shrew of its comic sub-plot… and focus on the bare bones of the story of wildcat Katherine and her ‘tamer’ Petruchio, Shakespeare's early play looks… barbarous, offensive and misogynistic. Yet Shrew is remarkably popular with audiences… either theatre-goers are secret sadists, who like nothing better than watching a spot of wife-bashing, or there's more to Shrew than meets the eye.” —Maddy Costa, the Guardian.
CALENDAR INFORMATION
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WHERE
The Arcade Theatre (at the Underground Collaborative) 161 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee WI, 53203 WHEN
Jan 18 - 22, 2017
RUNNING TIME
90 minutes (with a 15 minute intermission) |
Parking: Free street parking after 6:00pm
Surface lots between Michigan & Clyborne/2nd & Plankinton The Grand Avenue Mall garage on Plankinton Ave (between Michigan St and Wisconsin Ave) |
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Production Team
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Executive Producer
JARED STEPP Producer
ERIC SCHMALZ |
Director
SAM ROBINSON Stage Manager
SARAH SCHLEHLEIN |
Lighting Design
AARON SUGGS Marketing Director/Sound Design
JAKE RUSSELL THOMPSON |
Cast
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Petruchio
ROC BAUMAN Hortensio, Lord
THORIN KETELSEN Baptista, Huntsman,
Petruchio’s Servant #3 NICK HURTGEN Pendant, Widow, Haberdasher
JESSICA TRZNADEL Vincentio, Tailor
NICK WISE |
Curtis, Page
CAROLINE BOETTCHER Bianca, Petruchio's Servant #1
BEATRICE KUENN Tranio
ALY ROBINSON Biondella, Hostess,
Petruchio’s Servant #2 WREN DU VERNOIS |
Lucentio, Servingman #2
KYLE CONNER Katharina
HALEY HAUPT Buckingham/Prince Edward/Murderer
JAKE RUSSELL THOMPSON Gremio, Servingman #1
GLENN WIDDICOMBE |