Pictured: Liam (Petruchio), Marielle (Katherina), Caroline (Hortensio) and Teagan (Grumio) during the exit of the wedding.
Today’s Date: 7/30/2019
Show Title: The Taming of the Shrew
Director: Kim Newton
Assistant Directors: Austin Harleson & Taylor Lamb
Production Intern: Margot Flanders (Dramaturg) & Jules Talbot (Stage Manager)
Rehearsal Room: Grafton
What we did
This morning we continued to make fixes to blocking. After that we went into fight and music call before adjusting our preshow song. Then we ran up through the first scene of Act IV.
Quick and Quotable
From the play
“Happily to wive and thrive.”
—Petruchio, Act I
From the director
“Kisses can never be too slow.”
From the cast
“Margot, I really like your blog posts.”
—Sophie
“Thank you so much!”
—Me (Margot)
“What? What is a blog post?”
—Teagan
“Margot writes about our show everyday.”
—Sophie
“What????”
—Teagan
“Sometimes she quotes you.”
—Sophie
“I often quote you.”
—Me (Margot)
“Oh…”
—Teagan
Production Insights
In rehearsal today, we worked things and spent a lot of time perfecting the wedding scene of Katherina and Petruchio. That scene is all about contrast. The contrast between what Petruchio should be wearing and how he should be acting with everyone else in the scene is what creates the comedy. He is dressed in a tutu, cowboy hat and doublet while Katherina is in a full wedding dress.
Weddings in the early modern period were still all about money and property. Baptista pays Petruchio to marry Katherina and Lucentio gets to marry Bianca because he can assure that she will get more financial benefits. By making the marriage ceremony a comedic affair does it show how in this period women were gaining more autonomy and that women being used as property was going out of fashion? Maybe, maybe not. It is interesting to note either way.
Margot Flanders
Margot Flanders was born and raised about fifteen minutes from Staunton in the small town of Fishersville, VA. She is currently studying English and Theatre (and possibly studying Classics and/or Geology) at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. She has spent her first year of college as an Assistant Director, Assistant Production Manager, Dramaturg, and Assistant Stage Manager for Shakespeare in the Dark (W&M’s Shakespeare Club), The Sinfonicron Light Opera Company (W&M’s Gilbert and Sullivan based musical company) and the school’s theatre department. When she is not locked in a rehearsal room, she loves to hike and play with her dogs.