The Garfield Shakespeare Company is the first theater company that I had the privilege to work with outside of school. It's where I was able to grow and flourish both as an actor and a person. I didn't know anything about Shakespeare when I first joined the company, but that wasn't a problem for GSC. The wholesome thing about this company is that they are willing to accept and teach anyone who is willing to put the work in.
I've now been with GSC for 8 years and am a much more successful theater professional. One thing about me is that I will always do everything in my power to give back to those who help me. In this case, I decided to give back by joining the GSC Board of Directors and applying to be a director, so that I could introduce new theater lovers to the craft in the same way that was done for me.
The question was now: which Shakespeare play to direct? As someone who great up watching Ten Things I Hate About You and being absolutely in love with Heath Ledger, The Taming of the Shrew felt like a no brainer. I am well aware, however, that Shrew is one of Shakespeare's "problem plays" and I raised some eyebrows with my idea at first. It is not my intention to ignore or smooth over the sexism and abusive themes that the original script contains.
However, there are theories that Shakespeare may have intended Shrew to be a parody and commentary on "taming" ideologies that were popular during the Elizabethan era. In my opinion, the most telling evidence is that Baptista requires Petruchio to get Kate's love before he will allow them to be married. I gave my actors my vision for the show and they ran with it. They did not disappoint.
The end result you are seeing is our interpretation and our love letter to Shakespeare and his original work. We hope you enjoy the show.
