stage directions are built into this script so that young actors do not have to stand in one place; they can move and tell the story with their actions as well as their words. And it can all be done in a classroom during class time!
That is where this book was born: not in a research library, a graduate school lecture, a professional stage, or even an after-school drama club. All of the play cuttings in The 30-Minute Shakespeare were first rehearsed in a D.C. public high school English class, and performed successfully at the Folger Shakespeare Library’s annual Secondary School Shakespeare Festival. The players were not necessarily “actor types.” For many of them, this was their first performance in a play.
Something almost miraculous happens when students perform Shakespeare. They “get” it. By occupying the characters and speaking the words out loud, students gain a level of understanding and appreciation that is unachievable by simply reading the text. That is the magic of a performance-based method of learning Shakespeare, and this book makes the formerly daunting task of staging a Shakespeare play possible for anybody.
With The 30-Minute Shakespeare book series I hope to help teachers and students produce a Shakespeare play in a short amount of time, thus jump-starting the process of discovering the beauty, magic, and fun of the Bard. Plot, theme, and language reveal themselves through the performance of these half-hour play cuttings, and everybody involved receives the priceless gift of “owning” a piece of Shakespeare. The result is an experience that is fun and engaging, and one that we can all carry with us as we play out our own lives on the stages of the world.
NICK NEWLIN
Brandywine, MD
March 2010
CHARACTERS IN THE PLAY
The following is a list of characters that appear in this cutting of The Taming of the Shrew.
Sixteen actors appeared in the original production. The number can be increased to about thirty or decreased to about ten by having actors share or double roles.
For the full breakdown of characters, see Sample Program.
LUCENTIO: Suitor to Bianca, later disguised as the teacher Cambio
TRANIO: Servant to Lucentio
BAPTISTA: Father to Katherine and Bianca
GREMIO: Suitor to Bianca
KATHERINE: Baptista’s elder daughter
BIANCA: Baptista’s younger daughter
PETRUCHIO: Suitor to Katherine
GRUMIO: Servant to Petruchio
HORTENSIO: Suitor to Bianca, later disguised as the teacher Litio
BIONDELLO: Servant to Lucentio
WIDOW
SERVANTS
CHORUS MEMBERS
NARRATOR
Padua, the town square.
STAGEHANDS set two benches stage right and two benches stage left, side by side and facing center stage. Each bench holds four actors. Prior to curtain, the individual actors will place their props below the bench on which they will be sitting.
Enter ALL, excluding LUCENTIO, TRANIO, BIONDELLO, PETRUCHIO, GREMIO, BIANCA, BAPTISTA, and KATHERINE, dancing, waving, and playing instruments. They circle the stage and then sit, four actors to a bench. All cast members return to their respective benches throughout the play rather than exiting offstage. While on the benches, the cast serves as the CHORUS, sometimes leaping up to participate and then returning to their benches.
Enter LUCENTIO and TRANIO separately, walking in from stage left.
LUCENTIO
Tranio, my trusty servant,
To see fair Padua,
ALL onstage cheer.
I am arrived.
But stay awhile! What company is this?
TRANIO
Master, some show to welcome us to town.
SOUND OPERATOR plays Sound Cue #1 (“Drumroll”).
ALL look stage right.
Enter BIONDELLO, PETRUCHIO, and GREMIO from stage right, looking frightened. GREMIO is using a cane. A shoe is thrown at them from offstage right.
Enter BIANCA from stage right, running and ducking from an object being thrown from offstage. A shoe comes flying out, and she ducks. She nearly runs into BIONDELLO, PETRUCHIO, and GREMIO, but they catch her. As soon as BIANCA enters, LUCENTIO can’t keep his eyes off her.
Another shoe is thrown from offstage right.
Enter BAPTISTA from stage right, walking backward with his arms in front of him, protecting himself. ALL look at BAPTISTA, put their arms out in front of them, and gaze expectantly stage right. Nothing happens.
SOUND OPERATOR plays Sound Cue #2 (“Drumroll”).
From offstage right, another shoe is thrown. ALL watch as it bounces across the stage.
Enter KATHERINE from stage right. Her hair looks wild, and she is glaring. She stands center stage, takes a few threatening steps toward the front row, and scowls.
ALL onstage yell in terror.
KATHERINE moves toward BAPTISTA, BIANCA, TRANIO, and BIONDELLO.
HORTENSIO makes his way toward the crowd, staring at BIANCA.
LUCENTIO eyes HORTENSIO suspiciously as he notices that HORTENSIO desires BIANCA.
