Chicago Shakespeare Theater continues
its 25th Anniversary Season with
Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew
Adapted and staged by Jeff Award-winning
director Rachel Rockwell
Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. now through April 7, 2012
Chicago—February 24, 2012—Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) continues its 25th Anniversary Season with Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew, a 75-minute abridged production of Shakespeare's lively battle of the sexes adapted and staged by Jeff Award-winning director Rachel Rockwell, on Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. now through April 7, 2012. Providing the opportunity for adults to give young people in their lives a high-energy introduction to Shakespeare, the cast of Rockwell's production includes CST favorite Ericka Ratcliff, who performs the role of strong-willed Katherina after appearing in Chicago Shakespeare's Jeff Award-winning Shakespeare "hip-hoptation" Funk It Up About Nothin' at CST, Scotland's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, London and a six-week Australian tour. Performing the role of Katherina's sparring partner, Petruchio, is Matt Mueller, whose credits include numerous productions at the Utah and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals. Five-time Jeff Award nominee Don Forston returns as Baptista after performing the role of Geppetto in Rockwell's acclaimed world premiere CST Family musical The Adventures of Pinocchio last summer. Local comedic actor Alex Goodrich returns to CST to perform the role of Tranio.
Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew is performed Saturdays at 11 a.m. now through April 7, 2012 in CST's Courtyard Theater. Tickets are $16–$20, and all patrons receive a 40% discount on guaranteed parking in Navy Pier garages. The production is most enjoyed by ages 10 and up. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com/shortshakespeare.
The wildly spirited Kate and machismo-driven Petruchio scream, fight and woo their way into one another's heart in Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew. Drawn together by their strong personalities almost against their will, the unlikely pair ultimately falls in love. Rockwell's production combines an adaptation of Shakespeare's original verse and Elizabethan dress with original rock-inspired music to connect young audiences with the characters' journeys. Immediately following each Saturday performance, actors remain on stage for a discussion with the audience, and afterward audience members are invited to join the actors for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities in CST's lobbies.
Additional actors returning to Chicago Shakespeare for Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew are Jeffrey Baumgartner as Vicentio, Jessie Fisher as Biondella, José Antonio García as Curtis, Nicholas Harazin as Lucentio, Eric Leonard as Pedant,Matthew Sherbach as Hortensio and Mick Weber as Gremio. The ensemble is rounded out by Tiffany Yvonne Cox as Bianca and Terrence Mosley as Grumio.
Jeff Award-winning Chicago director Rachel Rockwell returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater to adapt and direct Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew after staging CST's critically acclaimed, world premiere family musicals The Adventures of Pinocchioand The Emperor's New Clothes. Her work as a choreographer has been seen on CST's stages in productions including The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet andMeasure for Measure. In addition to regional credits throughout the country, Rockwell's Chicago-area directing and choreography credits include Jeff Award-winning productions at The Marriott Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Noble Fools Theatricals and Drury Lane Oakbrook, where Rockwell garnered a Jeff Award for Best Director for Ragtime.
Joining Rockwell's production team for Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew are Scenic Designer Kevin Depinet, Costume Designer Jacqueline Firkins, Lighting Designer Jesse Klug, Sound Designer James Savage, Composer Kevin O'Donnell, Wig and Makeup Designer Melissa Veal, Properties Master Chelsea Meyers and Verse Coach Kevin Gudahl.
About Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Celebrating its 25th Anniversary this season, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is a leading international theater company, known for vibrant productions that reflect Shakespeare's genius for intricate storytelling, musicality of language and depth of feeling for the human condition. Recipient of the 2008 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Chicago Shakespeare's work has been recognized internationally with three of London's prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards, and by the Chicago theater community with 62 Joseph Jefferson Awards for Artistic Excellence. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, CST is dedicated to producing extraordinary classic productions, new works and family fare; unlocking Shakespeare's work for educators and students; and serving as Chicago's cultural ambassador through its World's Stage Series.
At its permanent, state-of-the-art facility on Navy Pier, CST houses two intimate theater spaces: the 500-seat Jentes Family Courtyard Theater and the 200-seat Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare. Through a year-round season encompassing more than 500 performances, CST leads the community as the largest employer of Chicago actors and attracts 200,000 audience members annually—including nearly 16,000 subscribers and 40,000 students and teachers.
About CST Family
Chicago Shakespeare Theater's CST Family initiative presents a wide range of affordable programming especially for families. As part of CST's commitment to making theater and live performance accessible to all ages, offerings year-round include Short Shakespeare!adaptations of Shakespeare classics, summer musicals of imaginative children's tales and classical music concerts in collaboration with The Chicago Chamber Musicians. These programs reach more than 35,000 patrons each season—making Chicago Shakespeare one of the largest providers of family programming in Chicago. CST has also championed the creation of new family productions, commissioning and producing three world-premiere summer musicals to great acclaim: How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, about students in detention who bring a modern twist to Aesop's fables,The Emperor's New Clothes, based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale, and last summer's The Adventures of Pinocchio, based on Carlo Collodi's story of a wooden puppet who longs to be a real boy.
