Registration for our annual “Shakespeared!” Workshop is now closed. If you miss this year’s workshop, we hope that you can come next year!
This year’s two-week long JULY workshop centers around THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, one of Shakespeare’s most performed comedies. You can find the synopsis of the play below.
“Shakespeared!” is tailored to provide young players with an opportunity to engage with Shakespeare’s text in a fun way and to see the potential interpretations that lie within the text. Directors of each group devise their own unique versions of the play, all with creative input from their casts. Kids learn about acting, using their imaginations and voices, staging and movement, and that Shakespeare isn’t really scary at all.
Workshop Dates: Mondays-Fridays July 20-31
Middle School Group Meets Mondays-Fridays 12:30-2:30pm
Middle School Performance: Friday, July 31st at 7:00pm
Middle School Directors: Eleanor Howard & John Reach
High School Group Meets Mondays-Fridays 3:00-5:30pm
High School Group Performance: Saturday, August 1st at 7:00pm
High School Directors: David Johnson & Ellen Blackledge
The scripts will be available soon on the playhouse website’s Youth Theatre Workshop page. So, feel free to read it before our first day. We will read through the play on day one, and the players will have a chance to note their role preferences. The roles will be cast that evening, and rehearsals begin on day two!
Synopsis of the Play: In Renaissance Italy, a wealthy merchant declares his sweet younger daughter cannot marry until her fiery, ill-tempered older sister—Katherina, the “shrew”—is wed. A boastful man named Petruchio marries Katherina and uses silly, wild tricks to “tame” her into becoming a completely “obedient” wife.
Baptista Minola has two daughters that he wants to find husbands for. His younger daughter, Bianca, is sweet and quiet. There are many men who want to marry her. His older daughter, Katharina, is known for being wild and angry, and Baptista is worried no one will marry her. However, Baptista announces that Bianca cannot get married until Katharina gets married.
Lucentio, a young man from out of town, sees Bianca and falls in love at first sight. Lucentio disguises himself as a Latin teacher so that he can spend time with Bianca. He eventually tells Bianca his true identity and it turns out she likes him too! Even though there are other suitors who try to win her affection and convince Baptista that she should marry them, Bianca likes Lucentio the best.
Petruchio hears about Katharina and decides that he wants to marry her. He also thinks he will be able to “tame” her wild behavior. When Katharina and Petruchio meet, Katharina does not like Petruchio at all. He acts even meaner and crazier than she does. Katharina is not allowed to eat or sleep and Petruchio confuses her by doing things like pretending that the sun is the moon. Even though Katharina and Petruchio fight a lot at first, they eventually learn to get along.
