Royal Shakespeare
Company's
The Taming of the Shrew
April 15
May 2, 2020
The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare
by William Shakespeare
directed by Justin Audibert
A WorldStage Production from the UK
Royal Shakespeare
Lead Sponsor
Given the ever-changing landscape around COVID-19, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is temporarily suspending performances and operations at our home on Navy Pier. Read more >
Chicago Shakespeare Theater welcomes the illustrious Royal Shakespeare Company back to Chicago for the first time in 25 years. Director Justin Audibert turns Shakespeare’s provocative comedy on its head, setting it in a matriarchal society. Women hold the power, control the state, and own the property. In a world where men have no authority, Lady Baptista is selling off her two sons to the highest bidder. Reversing the traditional gender of each role, the RSC’s production creates a new environment in which the power dynamics of today can be explored through a 400-year-old text. This explosive battle of the sexes promises to be unlike any Shrew you’ve ever seen.
WATCH & LISTEN
Video: See the Royal Shakespeare Company in Chicago
Video: Putting Women in Charge
Video: Authority in an instant
More to Explore
Critical Acclaim
“There’s a joy in the swagger of the language and curlicues of the plotting that is sweetened by the role reversals,” declares The Times (UK).
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From the Director
“There is an important conversation about gender and power. I wanted to see what it would feel like when the male voice is not the dominant one.”
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The History of the Play
A brief introduction to the stage history of The Taming of the Shrew, from early productions in Elizabethan England to present-day adaptations.
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The Players
Creative Team
Justin Audibert Director
Stephen Brimson Lewis Set Designer
Hannah Clark Costume Designer
Matt Peel Lighting Designer
Ruth Chan Composer
Claire Windsor Sound Designer
Lucy Cullingford Movement Director
Rachel Bown-Willams Fight Choreographer
Ruth Cooper-Brown Fight Choreographer
Liz Larsen CST Stage Manager
Cast
Claire Price Petruchia
Joseph Arkley Katherine
Charlotte Arrowsmith Curtis
Hannah Azuonye Pedant
Melody Brown Vincentia
Richard Clews Grumio
James Cooney Bianco
Amelia Donkor Hortensia
Laura Elsworthy Trania
Alexandra Gilbreath Gremia
Amanda Harris Baptista
Emily Johnstone Lucentia
Alex Jones Haberdasher
Alexander Mushore Servant
Michael Patrick Tailor
Aaron Thiara Servant of Petruchia
Amy Trigg Biondella
Leo Wan Widower