Shakespeare’s ‘Taming Of The Shrew’ Coming To NHS

By Tanjua Damon

The auditorium stage at Newtown High School will travel back to 1593 on November 17 and 18, when William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew is performed by drama club students.

The Taming of the Shrew is about fidelity, acting, and deception. Two sisters, Kate and Bianca, are hoping to be married. Kate is the shrewish one who no one wants to marry, but she must be married before Bianca because she is older. Petruchio is willing to marry Kate because he is always up for a challenge and he is a chauvinist.

“There are two couples,” stage manager Kaitlin Dunseith said. “One man tries to make his shrewish wife into a typical house wife. The other thinks he is getting a prize of a wife but that isn’t necessarily the case.”

The student run play has a cast of over 20 students who will perform November 17, at 8 pm, and November 18, at 2 pm and 8 pm at the high school auditorium. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. The play will run for just over two hours.

“There are a variety of large roles,” production assistant Lauri Manion said. “We have an incredibly funny cast. The leading male is hysterical.”

Travis Finlayson plays the leading male role of Petruchio. He enjoys the role because of the energy of the character. Travis admits he is nothing like Petruchio.

“He’s full of himself. He’s always looking for a challenge. His great challenge is to try to tame the shrew and woo her,” Travis said. “In the end, they learn to love each other. He’s doing it as a challenge. She’s trying to resist. They eventually fall in love. I like him because he’s so full of himself.”

Travis admits his character can be a bit much, but that is the fun of being Petruchio.

“I think it’s funny the way he tries to love the woman even though she keeps resisting. He’s cocky,” Travis said. “He thinks of a woman as a prize. I think it’s easy to play someone who is at an extreme. You can’t overact that.”

Beth English plays the shrew, Kate, who has to be married first before her younger sister, Bianca, can be married. To add to the troubles, Kate is jealous of her younger sister.

“She’s the shrew. She really at first seems to be mean spirited,” Beth said. “I think there is a vulnerability to her. She is jealous of her sister.”

Being able to use several different acting styles adds flavor to the character and acting experience, according to Beth.

 “It is one of the best female roles. It allows me to use several different types of acting skills,” Beth said. “That’s a challenge. One of the bad things is it’s a lot of body language. It’s hard to get across sometimes.”

Students are also constructing the set for the performance. Tech Director Erin Thomas has been dedicated to the completion of the scenery. She designed the set over the summer.

With her design, the audience will not sit in the seats of the auditorium; instead the audience will also be on stage looking out to where they normally would be sitting.

Two houses and a balcony are being constructed for the scenery of the play. Various shades of browns and grays will be used to create a natural effect, according to Erin.

“I think it’s going to be a great show. It’s pretty much student run,” Erin said. “We’ll show what we have learned and what we are capable of. I started in the eighth grade helping my sister. I designed the set over the summer and had friend who has degree in set design look at it.”

The play will be held November 17 and 18 at Newtown High School. Come see how the shrew fares in this Shakespearean classic.

“The cast and crew have worked very hard,” Beth said. “It’s a funny story line and it’s a classic.”