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"Taming Of The Shrew(S)": Explorations Of Gender And Power In Directing An Original Adaptation Of William Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew, Katharine Cognard-Black

Honors Theses

In Fall 2021, I directed my own adaptation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, entitled “Taming of the Shrew(s).” This project served as both the creative portion of my honors thesis as well as a Senior Showcase within the Bucknell Department of Theatre & Dance. From a young age, I have been fascinated by the malleability of Shakespeare’s plays, and having acted in and seen multiple productions of The Taming of the Shrew, my project began with a desire to take on the gendered complexities of this so-called “problem play.” The Taming of the Shrew is problematic in its sexist …

Kiss Me Kate, February 13 – 25, 2018, Theatre Sheridan

Theatre Sheridan Productions

Welcome backstage to witness the rollicking world of theatre as a company is preparing for their production of The Taming of the Shrew. Cole Porter has partnered with Shakespeare to create one of the most raucous, rowdy and enduring romances of all time for the stage. Not to be missed…KISS ME, KATE will leave you feeling “WUNDERBAR’!

Music and lyrics by Cole Porter. Book by Sam and Bella Spewack.

Director: Ann Hodges

Choreographer: Stephanie Graham

Musical Director: Jeannie Wyse

The Taming Of The Shrew, Matthew M. Moore, Robert Clements, Tim Phipps, Diane C. Merchant

Theatre Productions

Bachelor Petruchio’s search for a wife finds an unwilling participant in Kate and hilarity ensues as he sets out to ‘tame’ his headstrong wife. The play has been set in the 1950s and abridged to fit a shorter time, but has not been adapted, staying true to Shakespeare’s classic. The romantic comedy has themes of mistaken identity, role reversal, difficult choices, and, especially, being surprised by love. It will be a fun, high-energy show that includes a live, 6-person acapella group singing ‘50s’ classics, such as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, creating a light-hearted atmosphere for the event.

Summer Of Shrew, Part 4: Which End’S Up?, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Faculty Publications

In the last of a four-part series on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner explores how expanding the range of the titular Shrew to include male characters is actually a return to its original meaning. Pollack-Pelzner focuses on a long-forgotten Renaissance sequel to Shrew (John Fletcher's The Tamer Tamed) that takes the taming of men even further and turns its gender roles upside down.

Summer Of Shrew, Part 3: A Sly Conceit, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Faculty Publications

In the third of a four-part series on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner asks, what if Kate’s story isn’t the play’s only reality? Pollack-Pelzner explores how a drunken beggar and an earlier version of the script shift the brawling balances of the play and call into question who the real shrew is.

Summer Of Shrew, Part 2: Tamed? Really?, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Faculty Publications

In the second of a four-part series on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner argues that Shakespeare’s play raises challenging questions about the way we define gender roles, and the answers aren’t as obvious as they might seem.

Summer Of Shrew, Part 1: A Tale Of Two Cities, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner

Faculty Publications

In the first of a four-part series on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner introduces two high-concept professional productions of the play — one in Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and one in Portland, Oregon at the Portland Shakespeare Project.

Shakespeare's Taming Of The Shrew Compared With The Expectations Of Elizabethan Marriage, Jessica Asay

Student Works

Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew demonstrates the possible equality of marriage within Elizabethan marriage standards. However, in order to understand the importance of this concept one must first understand the negotiations, and role expectations within marriage during this time period. In Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare first introduces the audience to Petruchio who emulates the traditional man in an Elizabethan marriage. Then he establishes Katherine's character which does not fit into the expected role of subservient wife. Shakespeare compares their relationship to the traditional marriage because Shakespearean audiences would have been familiar with this social commentary. Katherine realizes that she …

With This Ring, I Surrender: Politics, Religion, And Marriage In Shakespeare And Tudor England, Mara R. Berkoff

Honors College Theses

The ideas I wish to explore are the overarching themes of politics, religion, and marriage in the Turor period under the rule of King Henry VIII from 1509 to 1547. The popular opinion of the period on Henry VIII's behavior can be seen in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Measure for Measure, and Henry VIII.

The Taming Of The Shrew, February 17 – 27, 1999, Theatre Sheridan

Theatre Sheridan Productions

This Shakespearean comedy starts with a nobleman tricking a drunken tinker into forgetting his station in life and the nobleman has a play performed for the tinker’s entertainment. The play explores the courtship of Petruchio to Katherina, a stubborn shrew who must be tempered by Petruchio to become a biddable bride. During Petruchio’s and Katherina’s courtship there is also the competitive courtship of Bianca, Katherina’s sister, by various suitors.

The story of the first meeting of two huge souls is timeless. The script remains relevant because it explores personal chemistry between people, issues of losing and winning in the battleground …

Program For The Stage Production The Taming Of The Shrew, Protheatre Club

Theater Production Programs

This three-page program details ProTheatre of Ursinus College's production of "The Taming of the Shrew", held May 10 through May 13, 1973 in Thompson-Gay Gymnasium. It includes information listing the cast, production crew and patrons.

1959-1960 Season Brochure, Otterbein University Department Of Theatre And Dance

Theatre and Dance Annual Brochures

Annual promotional piece of the upcoming season's shows.