HU Players and Company Present 'The Taming of the Shrew'

Hampton, VA - Hampton University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts will conclude its 10-year celebration season with William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The production will be presented in Armstrong Hall’s Little Theatre on March 17, 18, 19, 25 and 26 at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees on March 20 and 27 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $8 for senior citizens, children and students and admission for HU students is free. For ticket information, contact the HU Box Office at 727-5236 or 727-5402.

The Taming of the Shrew is a popular Shakespearean comedy that 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 in Padua, the wealthy Baptista searches for suitors for the hand of Kate, his eldest daughter, famed as much for her beauty as for her shrewish tongue. Bianca, the younger and docile daughter, has many admirers who cannot woo her until Kate is wed. Bianca’s suitors work together to find Petruchio, a gentleman who has come to "wive it wealthily in Padua." They persuade Petruchio to woo Kate and the game is on! This Shakespeare comedy is intriguing because of the contemporary issues it broaches in areas of feminism, domestic violence and equality of the sexes.

Robin Boisseau, in her fourth year working with the Hampton Players, will direct the performances. Her other directing credits include Crimes of the Heart, The Disappearance, Momentum and Pirates of Penzance.
HU welcomes Gregory J. Horton, associate professor of theatre at St. Louis University, as the costume designer for The Taming of the Shrew. He has designed such favorites as Dream Girls, The Wiz, MacBeth and Violet. He is the national president of the Black Theatre Network and is on the board of directors of the United States Theatre Technologists.

The Hampton Players and Company is a professionally run performing ensemble. The performers are not limited to the University stage, but have appeared on stages throughout the United States.