by William Shakespeare

Milwaukee Shakespeare Company – Spring 2005

Directed by Susan Finque
Set Design by Sergio Villegas
Costume Design by Jessica Ford
Lighting Design by Kurt Schnabel
Composer / Sound Design by Kevin Schlei
Wigs by Dave Bova
Clothes built by Kitty Schweitzer – Seams Unlimited, Racine, WI

All photos copyright Lila Arya

The director, Susan Finque, set this production in the early 17th century with an all male cast. The action takes place backstage as a traveling troupe of actors present a private performance of The Taming of the Shrew for a befuddled drunkard stagehand named Sly. The characters first enter the space as “actors.” We then watch as they transform into the characters in the play.

Pieter Codde, “Actors’ Changing Room” 1630s

At the end of the play, Michael Gotch spoke Kate’s “wives obey your husbands” speech as he was taking off his skirts and returning
to his male “actor” self. Michael and the actor playing Petruchio, Matt Daniels, ended the show like this.

Actors pictured here: Bryce Lord, Chase Stoeger, Michael Gotch, Matt Daniels, Miki Johnson, Jeff Withers, Nicholas Harazin, Jake Russo, Jonathan Daly, Michael Shelle, Bill Clifford, Ryan Lindberg, Matthew Koester, Nate Press, Darrel Cherney, Adibisi Agoro