{"id":149147,"date":"2023-06-22T10:29:46","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T16:29:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=149147"},"modified":"2023-06-22T10:29:48","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T16:29:48","slug":"theatreworks-presents-taming-of-the-shrew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=149147","title":{"rendered":"Theatreworks presents “Taming of the Shrew”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Isaiah J. Downing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Beginning Thursday, July 6, Theatreworks Colorado Springs opens “Taming of the Shrew,” which offers mountain views, stunning costumes, food for thought and plenty of laughs. This production draws inspiration from a 2020 production at England\u2019s Royal Shakespeare Company and flips the power dynamic with all the traditionally male characters cast as women and vice versa. The result?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Elizabethan England every bit as stylized and strict as we always imagine it, with one key difference: this society is ruled by women. The twist brings new life into the Shrew you thought you knew. The central couple, Kate and Petruchia, equals in intellect, impudence and even infatuation, learn to balance identity and belonging, with plenty of sniping, head-butting and comic brilliance along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theatreworks summer Shakespeare productions have been a staple of the Colorado Springs arts landscape for decades. While the production has made its home in many locales through the years, it\u2019s always been a joyful celebration of the magic of Shakespeare, and the undeniable majesty of a summer evening in the Pikes Peak Region. Following a move to the lawn at the Ent Center for the Arts last year, summer Shakespeare returns to the lawn with “Taming of the Shrew,” one of Shakespeare\u2019s most well-known comedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theatreworks\u2019 production features several Denver-based actors, including Annie Barbour (Measure for
Measure), Iliana Lucero Barron (new to Theatreworks), and Adrienne Martin-Fullwood (King Hedley II),
alongside familiar Colorado Springs favorites Colton Pratt (Twelfth Night), Cheerish Martin (Little
Women, Lady at Emerson\u2019s Bar and Grill), Birgitta DePree (Millibo Art Theatre and Witch), Rachel Fey
(Free-For-All: Comedy of Errors, Free-For-All: A Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream) and Chicago based Ian
Michael Minh (Around the World in 80 Days). The production is helmed by Theatreworks artistic
director, Caitlin Lowans (Lumberjacks in Love).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile this production was inspired by a 2020 Royal Shakespeare Company production I saw on a Theatreworks London Tour, as I\u2019ve collaborated with the designers and actors our exploration has grown from simply imagining a world with \u2018women on top\u2019 to an expansion navigating the complexities of the human heart in a system that doesn\u2019t allow people to fully be who they know themselves to be inside while they are out in the world,” said Director Caitlin Lowans. “All that wrapped up with delicious comedy and spit takes galore, thanks to the comedic brilliance of our cast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a script written centuries ago, this production remains firmly of the moment. With a concept
including bold fusion costuming that blends 16th century silhouettes with modern couture, and madcap
double casting, the show feels light, fun, and modern. It uplifts the best of Shakespeare\u2019s original story
and layers it over today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The creative team includes Pheobe Boynton (costumes), Will Alejandro Melendez (lighting), CeCe Smith
(sound design), Marie Verdu (scenic\/props design), Garth Moritz (stage manager), and Skylar Campbell
(assistant stage manager).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the tradition of Theatreworks\u2019 summer Shakespeare program, enhanced audience experience is a
central component of “Taming of the Shrew.” In addition to the spectacular sunset views, and all the
amenities available by virtue of being so near the Ent Center, audience members who arrive early will
also enjoy a \u201cgreen show,\u201d featuring local musicians performing half an hour before the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets to “Taming of the Shrew” can be purchased online at entcenterforthearts.org or by phone at 719-
255-8181. Performances begin Thursday, July 6, and continue through Sunday, July 30. Tickets for UCCS students are always free. Evening performances are at 7 p.m., Wednesday \u2013 Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Theatreworks Colorado Springs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Theatreworks Colorado Springs connects, empowers, and delights our communities through diverse performances and educational experiences that are mirrors for ourselves and windows into others. We create in service to our audiences, our staff and artists, the UCCS students and community, and the people of Southern Colorado to envision a better world. Founded in 1975 by artistic director Murray Ross, costume designer Betty Ross, and an ensemble of passionate artists, today the program is led by artistic director, Caitlin Lowans, who was appointed in 2018 \u2013 the same year the Ent Center of the Arts opened its doors to the community. Caitlin brings a passion for education and for community-engaged work, celebrating the diversity of human experience. entcenterforthearts.org\/theatreworks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Ent Center for the Arts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This first-class arts facility, located on the University of Colorado Colorado Springs campus serves the community as a hub for the arts and an inspiration in academics. The vision for the facility was and is to foster a creative environment to house arts that will serve the Pikes Peak region, allowing artists to inspire and amplify one another rather than compete against one another. Art brings together diverse peoples and ideas in ways no other discipline can, and the Ent Center will be a pillar of the arts community within Colorado Springs. Learn more at entcenterforthearts.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beginning Thursday, July 6, Theatreworks Colorado Springs opens “Taming of the Shrew,” which offers mountain views, stunning costumes, food for thought and plenty of laughs. (More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":149149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,45,12,14],"tags":[330,412,332,361,275],"class_list":["post-149147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-arts-and-culture","category-events","category-upcoming-events","tag-arts-and-culture","tag-ent-center","tag-more-news","tag-distinctive-programs","tag-theatreworks"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/K5I7132-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-CNB","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=149147"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149165,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149147\/revisions\/149165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/149149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=149147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=149147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=149147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}