The Taming of The Shrew

by William Shaksphere

During the Elizabethan era when Shakespeare's plays were first staged, women were not allowed to act and perform on stage. Today we stage a Shakespearean play in female casting.

Why? Because we can.

The play describes the taming of a woman, ending with her succumbing to her place in society: "But now I see our lances are but straws, Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare, That seeming to be most which we indeed least are", "Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper, Thy head, thy sovereign; one that cares for thee". Certain interpretations display the monolog as cynical or inevitable, but we believe she means every word. She is thrown from her home, her society, undergoes physical and mental abuse, doesn't eat or sleep, asked to think against all logic with all of it presented as if wrapped in love. The technique of a hit and a caress employed by Petroccio still remains today, and during rehearsals each one of us shared an experience of losing ourselves within a relationship while being torn away from family and friends.

I chose six talented and powerful actresses, new arrangements of Rihanna, drag dresses and live music, to create a living and free atmosphere on stage while the ending presents conservatism, oppression and humiliation with total belief. Confusing? That's exactly how we feel.

Shakespear portrayed a warning in the 16th century, and here we are still living in it.

I hope women can identify these social habits and mechanisms so they can walk away, and that men will ask for help letting go of them.