City Theatre Breathes New Life into THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

The City Theatre Company continues to heat up the summer with William Shakespeare's rollicking comedy The Taming of the Shrew. A riotous and often tender tale full of outlandish characters, sparkling repartee, and bawdy humor, Shrew is one of the funniest plays ever written about the never-ending clash of those in love.

"If I be waspish, best beware my sting." - Katherina

The Taming of the Shrew pits the strong-willed Kate against the wily Petruchio in a battle of wits that makes the audience wonder just who is taming whom? Set the Padua, the ancient city of love, Lucentio longs for Bianca, the dutiful daughter of the wealthy Baptista. Unfortunately, Bianca already has two other suitors and her father will not let her marry until her older ill-tempered sister, Katherina, is wed. Lucentio's gold-digging friend Petruchio comes to town and arranges to meet and then marry Katherina against her will. The games is on and a lively battle of the sexes unfolds, as Petruchio takes on the monumental task of "taming" his unruly bride. Peppered with fast-paced dialogue and chock full of physical humor, Shrew is a rough-and-tumble farce brimming with belly laughs. The Shakespeare comedy is intriguing because of the contemporary issues it broaches in areas of feminism, equality, domestic security, and of course, the timeless observations about the nature of love. Shrew is arguably Shakespeare's funniest play, but through the laughs, it forces us to confront the uneasy compromises that marriage requires and society can demand of us. For a broad, knockabout farce, it is a surprisingly profound look at why and how we love and what we will sacrifice for it.

"My remedy is then, to pluck it out." - Petruchio

Leading the production, City Theatre is thrilled to have guest artist Kevin Gates, director of CTC's Arden of Faversham and the award-winning Macbeth in 2014. The cast features the talents of Brittany Flurry, Shelby Miller, Angelica Elliot, Kevin Smith, Michael Meigs, Doug Costello, Nick Gollihugh, Rory Roberts, Levi Gore, Tracy Hurd, Denver Surgener, Daniel Norton, Chris Casey, Krystal Clark, and Mikayla McIntyre. The City Theatre Company is excited to be celebrating its 11th anniversary season of live theatre entertainment in Austin. CTC is an Austin-based, not-for-profit arts organization and is sponsored in part by the Austin Creative Alliance and the Austin Cultural Arts Division. Founded in 2006, the company has been recognized by the Austin Critics Table Awards, the B. Iden Payne Awards, the Central Texas Excellence in Theatre Awards, Austin Live Theatre, and has twice been voted "Best Theatre Company" by Austin American-Statesman's Austin 360. CTC is dedicated in providing quality theatrical experiences and entertainment for Austin artists and its community and continues the commitment to making productions accessible for everyone. CTC offers its discount ticket program with $10 Thursday seats and $12 student seats for any show. The ticket discount is available throughout the 2017 season.

For tickets and more information, visit www.citytheatreaustin.org.

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