The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, albeit one of his most controversial in a modern light. From the classic 1967 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to the Gen X classic update, 10 Things I Hate About You, the story has been a part of the pop culture landscape for decades. Considered one of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, the play itself definitely has classic tropes of the genre: mistaken identity, love triangles (or even quadrangles), bawdy language, low humor with clownish characters, and it ends in a celebration. However, the exploration of the roles of gender in marriage and love is what gives this show a more dramatic flair and more serious tone ultimately resulting in The Taming of the Shrew being considered one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” because it doesn’t fit neatly in one box or the other.
It’s for this reason alone that we decided to tackle this script. The students of Theatre 2 and 3 read the script and an accompanying article from American Theatre magazine called, "Why Keep Doing Shakespeare? Maybe That’s the Wrong Question" written by Rob Weinert-Kent, which asserts that maybe the question to ask about Shakespeare is not whether or not to do it, but instead how to update it for a modern audience and highlight the relevancy of themes through a lens of inclusivity and exposure. This led us to start to question the play itself. Taming is often critically used as an example of Shakespeare’s misogyny and his beliefs on the role of women. However, what is lost is that Shakespeare wrote the play itself as a type of satire to the typical gender-roles that were prevalent in his time. So, as a class, and with the cast, we started to rewrite sections, flip genders on characters, update the language, and even use AI to help modernize whole parts of the play.
This is definitely not your grandparents' Shakespeare. Set inside a Drama Classroom full of cliques of students who are putting on the play for each other. During the production, we will watch how the groups of students start to intermingle and learn about each other while they openly question the text they’re reading. It’s a critical exploration live on stage with the great talents of our OHS Theatre Arts students! What more could you ask for?
TIME
Today. Right Now.
PLACE
A Drama Classroom
Tonight's performance will run approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes
There will be a 15 min intermission after the first half.
Treats, water, and snacks will be available in the lobby for consumption.
CONTENT WARNINGS
There are flashing lights, simulated stage violence, yelling, screaming,
and a host of laughter
GENERAL AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE
- Please no food or drink (besides bottled water) are allowed in the Olympia High School Performing Arts Center. Due to masking requirements, we ask that if you drink water throughout the show, you put your mask up as soon as you have taken your drink.
- Please keep all feet and bags out of the main aisles and all feet off the backs of the seats in front of you.
- Any recording of this performance ( audio or video ) is strictly forbidden under copyright law.
- Please silence all electronic devices ( cell phones, tablets, etc. ) during the performance. These devices interfere with the sound system and can be a huge distraction to the audience members around you.
- No flash photography during the performance. It can be distracting to the rest of the audience and dangerous for the performers on stage.
- If you need to leave your seat during the performance for any reason, please do so as quickly and quietly as possible as to not disturb the actors performing on stage or your fellow audience members.
