Shakespeare Festival Partners with Cripple Creek Theatre in Taking Shakespeare to New Audiences

The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane, in partnership with Cripple Creek Theatre Company, is bringing Shakespeare out of the theater and on the road with an exciting production of The Taming of the Shrew.

Prior to opening the 24th season of the Shakespeare Festival, The Taming of the Shrew will be performed at respected community organizations including the Bridge House, Grace House, The New Orleans Women and Children's Shelter, and The Treme Community Center. Lastly the show will tour to Dixon Correctional Institute.

"The Festival is committed to presenting a diverse, exciting, and accessible season to the Gulf South" said Clare Moncrief, the Festival's Managing Director. Emilie Whelan, Co-Artistic Director of Cripple Creek and director of The Taming of the Shrew, said, "We are honored to bring exquisite theater to new audiences that traditionally do not have accessibility to Shakespeare or theater at all."

A bawdy comedy that turns raw and heartbreaking, The Taming of the Shrew confronts the intimate makings of a servant. As Petruchio sets out to "tame" the unbridled Katherina - and men vie for the affections of the dutiful Bianca - themes of disguise, subversion, and costume run rampant. Emilie Whelan will direct. The show features a diverse group of New Orleans based professional actors. Their bios and headshots can be viewed here. The show will also feature live music by musician Brian Coogan, who's best known for his work with Pretty Lights.

Private performances will be held for the aforementioned community organizations in the month of May, prior to opening the 24th Festival Season on June 2nd. Public performances of The Taming of the Shrew will run from June 2-18 in the Lupin Theater on the Tulane uptown campus. Runtime is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.

7:30 pm performances will be held on June 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, and 17., 1:30 pm matinees will be held on June 4, 11, and 18.

General admission tickets are $30. Discounts are available for students, teachers, seniors, and Tulane employees. To celebrate the 24th season, the Festival is offering 24 tickets for $24 (twenty-four dollars) to every show. Single tickets go on sale April 1, 2017. Patrons can find more details at www.neworleansshakespeare.org .

The mission of the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane is to produce professional, classical theatre with a primary focus upon the works of William Shakespeare. Our commitment is to utilize local, national, and international talent to create dynamic, visceral, text-based performances celebrating Shakespeare's brilliant insight into the human condition. With this programming we will provide to the people of the Gulf South both entertainment and educational resources of the highest quality, honoring Shakespeare's legacy.

The Cripple Creek Theatre Company is a professional, non-profit organization dedicated to producing dramatic works of cultural, historical, and political relevance in order to provoke the general public into social action.