Event Article

I always get cast as the nice little girl," said Kathy Van Shaik. In the Theatre Department's upcoming production of the 'Taming of the Shrew," she will play an obnoxious wench.

Van Shaik will play Katherine in William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew."

Katherine is a modern day headstrong woman, who lives during a time when women were expected to be meek, quiet, and know where there place was.

Thor Edgell is opposite of Van Shaik as the husband Petruchio, who has taken on the burden of "taming" Katherine.

He first marries her for her father's money, but he warms to the task of taming, and he eventually falls in love with Katherine;

The FC presentation of "Shrew" is being directed by Gary Krinke, who is using a new approach - acrobatic movements which have been mixed with the story.

"We're trying to illustrate clearly what Shakespeare was saying," Krinke said. The athletics are also designed to keep the audience following the action as if "they're watching through the eye of a camera," he said.

This presentation also has a completed village, populated with villagers and their animals for the play's setting.

During the Elizabethan era, plays were performed by troupes of actors that roved the countryside. They would arrive at a and present the play.

This concept has been worked into the FC production to add a touch of realism to "Shrew."

The idea of a headstrong wife was on a new concept when Shakespeare started writing the play. The same plot appears in a couple of other popular plays during that period in time.

"Shrew" has many sub-plots in addition to the main plot of the taming of Katherine. There are also many colorful characters who, in addition to the lively script, should keep things at a frantic pace.

Opening is scheduled for Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. in the Campus Theatre. It will also play at the same time on Oct. 18-19 and there will be a matinee on Oct. 20 at 2:30 p.m.