There’s a long tradition of Shakespeare in the Park that happens all around the world. Come summer, theaters and production companies take the Bard’s timeless works outside, to the people, often for free. The modern tradition seems to have originated in the 1950s with the New York Shakespeare Festival in the city’s Central Park. Here in Colorado Springs, Theatreworks has been producing its own version of Shakespeare in the Park for decades, producing outdoor summer Shakespeare that combines the magic of the legendary playwright with the scenic majesty of summer evenings in the Pikes Peak Region. This July, the company will host a ticketed production of Taming of the Shrew on the lawn outside the Ent Center for the Arts.
The production opens just as Theatreworks wraps up its Free for All production of Pericles, which has been playing all around the Pikes Peak region since May. While those performances happened in a mix of indoor and outdoor community settings, Taming of the Shrew will be set among the kinetic Starr Kempf sculptures around the lawn of the Ent Center. The location will provide panoramic views while the production offers stunning costumes, food for thought and plenty of laughs.
But this isn’t the Shew you thought you knew. Theatreworks has brought a twist to its production, flipping the power dynamic with all the traditionally male characters cast as women and vice versa. The result is an Elizabethan England every bit as stylized and strict as we always imagine it, with one key difference: This society is ruled by women. The twist brings new life into one of Shakespeare’s most well-known comedies. The central couple, Kate and Petruchia, equals in intellect, impudence and even infatuation, learn to balance identity and belonging, with plenty of sniping, head-butting and comic brilliance along the way.
The production is inspired by a 2020 Royal Shakespeare Company production seen by Theatreworks artistic director Caitlin Lowans, but it has grown from there as Lowans directs this production. “As I’ve collaborated with the designers and actors, our exploration has grown from simply imagining a world with ‘women on top’ to an expansion navigating the complexities of the human heart in a system that doesn’t allow people to fully be who they know themselves to be inside while they are out in the world,” Lowans said in a press release. “[It’s] all that wrapped up with delicious comedy and spit-takes galore, thanks to the comedic brilliance of our cast.”
The Theatreworks production features several Denver-based actors, including Annie Barbour (Measure for Measure), Iliana Lucero Barron (new to Theatreworks), and Adrienne Martin-Fullwood (King Hedley II), alongside familiar Colorado Springs favorites Colton Pratt (Twelfth Night), Cheerish Martin (Little Women, Lady at Emerson’s Bar and Grill), Birgitta DePree (Millibo Art Theatre and Witch), Rachel Fey (Free-For-All: Comedy of Errors, Free-For-All: A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and Chicago based Ian Michael Minh (Around the World in 80 Days). [Sidenote: You can read favorite local entertainment recommends by Birgitta DePree in Colorado Springs for Kids of All Ages.]
Despite a script written centuries ago, this production remains firmly of the moment. The concept includes bold fusion costuming that blends 16th century silhouettes with modern couture, plus madcap double casting. Theatreworks says the show feels light, fun and modern. It uplifts the best of Shakespeare’s original story and layers it over today’s world.
In the tradition of Theatreworks’ summer Shakespeare program, enhanced audience experience is a central component of Taming of the Shrew. In addition to the spectacular sunset views, and all the amenities available at the Ent Center, audience members who arrive early will also enjoy a “green show,” featuring local musicians performing half an hour before the show.
Performances begin Thursday, July 6, and continue through Sunday, July 30 with evening shows at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. You can find more details and tickets at entcenterforthearts.org/theatreworks.
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