Auditions for Troilus and Cressida

Auditions for the September production of TROILUS AND CRESSIDA will be held on Sat June 25th and Mon June 27th from 7 to 10 pm, both days. Auditions will be held at University Friends Church at 1840 W. University. Roles are available for 10 men and 3 women, ages 18 and up. Reading material will be provided. This is a Shakespeare-in-the-Park production. Rehearsals will begin in early August. The roles of Thersites and Pandarus have been pre-cast. For more information, contact director Dan Schuster at 316-655-2017 or by email at gurgi4@cox.net.

If one of these two dates does not work for you to audition, and you are interested, please let me know and I can see if we can arrange an alternate audition time for you.

TROILUS AND CRESSIDA is one of the most difficult plays in the Shakespeare canon – both in terms of content and in terms of its ability to be easily classified. In its day, the play has been referred to as a History, a Tragedy, and a Comedy. That said, it might seem to indicate that a performance of TROILUS AND CRESSIDA might be a jarring night of theatre. My answer to that would be – “Exactly.”

The play touches on the futility of war, homosexuality, and political
backstabbing; hardly easy topics any of them, and ones that the play explores but doesn’t necessarily answer. There are no tidy endings here – happy or sad. For this reason, the play has a very modern feel to it.

In my adaptation, I have stream lined the lengthy difficult speeches and aim to keep the action moving. I will also focus intensely with my actors on the meaning behind their words and the inter-relationships of the characters. In a play like this, with many epic characters (such as Ulysses and Achilles), it is important to bring these legendary figures down to a very human, imperfect level. I also plan on taking a slightly more feminist approach to the character of Cressida. Rather than just dismissing her as an unfaithful and wanton seductress, I aim to approach her as a young woman responding to difficult situations in the best manner that she can.

I hope that many of you will come explore with me this very dark, very
interesting play, in what will likely be the Kansas premiere of this Shakespeare work.

Wichita Shakespeare Company Presents Taming of the Shrew

The Wichita Shakespeare Company (WSC) opens its 2011 Shakespeare-in-the-Park series with “The Taming of the Shrew.”  One of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, the play tells the story of Katherine Minola, well known in Italy for her scolding tongue, who is courted by a raucous gentleman by the name of Petruchio. This is much to the pleasure of Kate’s family and friends. Kate’s father has refused to marry off the beautiful Bianca (Kate’s younger sister), to one of her many suitors, until Kate has found a husband of her own.

The play is directed by WSC veteran Vonda Schuster.   Vonda previously directed “Twelfth Night” for WSC in 2006.   Vonda has also acted in many past WSC shows. Most recently, she was Lady Macbeth in “Macbeth” and Mistress Page in “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” The impressive cast assembled for this production includes Elizabeth Anderson as Kate and Jeffrey Faus as Petruchio. The supporting players are Jim Crawley, Jamie Smith, John Sommerhauser, Dan Schuster, Kevin Sowers, Ben Blankley, Katie Corbin, Danzel Muzingo Bond, Joey LeCompte, Stephanie Brean, Robert Esau Rutherford, Ben Sanders, Amanda Montoya, and Jessica Fisher.

Shakespeare-in-the-Park will return to the very popular Central Riverside, Buffalo, and College Hill Parks in Wichita.   For this show, the Central Riverside Park performances are being presented in conjunction with the Wichita River Festival.   Parks in Andover, Park City, Derby, and Haysville will complete the tour.   All shows will begin at 7:00 pm, with an approximate running time of an hour and a half.   As always, the play is performed free to all audiences but donations are accepted and appreciated.   Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and, of course, bug spray.

In the event of inclement weather, there will be a message posted at 6 pm on the WSC line (316-655-2017) alerting if the show has been cancelled for that evening.

Exact park locations and dates are as follows:

June 3rd College Hill Park, Wichita
June 4th Central Riverside Park (Riverfest Performance)
June 5th Central Riverside Park (Riverfest Performance)
June 10th Buffalo Park, Wichita
June 11th Hap McLean Park, Park City
June 12th Riggs Park, Haysville
June 17th College Hill Park, Wichita
June 18th Andover Sports Park, Andover
June 19th Hand Park, Derby

For additional information regarding this show or press release, contact Dan Schuster at (316) 655-2017.

Additionally, we must inform our patrons about Wichita Shakespeare Company’s policy of closed rehearsals. Attendance at WSC rehearsals is restricted to those people either in the Cast or Crew, or adult guardians for any minor cast members. Thank you in advance for complying with our closed rehearsal policy.

PDF of Taming of the Shrew Poster

Click”Continue reading” for photos and video from the production.

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