The Taming of the Shrew

Nemasket River Productions in Association with the Oliver Mill Estate
By William Shakespeare
​Directed + Choreographed by Andrew Child

Lighting & Scenic Elements by
​Grant Waterman

Costumes by
​Andrew Child with Merrie Mizarras

Properties by
​Holly Leach

Check out the visual inspiration for The Taming of the Shrew here.

Thoughts on directing The Taming of the Shrew...

     This Shrew was very special to me because it was the first time I was ever tasked with directing a piece I had already directed. The first time I approached this text, I steered a heavy-hand to ensure the audience understood we were subverting the baseline message of the play. The production centered around a group of women singing Lesley Gore's You Don't Own Me. This time, I was enticed to see if we could land closer to Shakespeare's original intention with the piece and allow an audience to draw what conclusions they may--- a huge challenge, and one not often approached with Shrew. However, while a creative team is expected to subvert and counter-act the damaging messages of Shakespeare's problematic works, classic Broadway musicals with equally antiquated teachings are revived in their original forms all the time. Attempting to draw parallels to this paradigm, it was easy to interweave comedic bits and production numbers to this lively play. The setting at the historical Oliver Mill Estate and a desire to suggest shows like Carousel gave us our turn-of-the-century fishing village.
      One of my favorite elements of this production was creating an interactive dumb show for the audience which included Bianca's laundry and all manner of old-fashioned fishing equipment. Music interwoven with the text included an overture in which the main characters were introduced through mime, a dance for Bianca and her three suitors, a dance signifying Katherina and Petruchio's trek from Padua to Verona, a musical soliloquy for Katharina at Petruchio's house, and a jubilant chorus at Hortensio's wedding.