Arts Reporting from the Blackfriars Shakespeare Conference: Beth Burns and cast on the original Practices Taming of the Shrew

Notes from Cass Morris at the Blackfriars Shakespeare Conference in Staunton, Virgina, October 27:

Beth Burns, Hidden Room Theatre:

"Original Practices at Hidden Room"

Beth Burns introduces her support team from Hidden Room, noting that she met her dramaturg for The Taming of the Shrew at a previous conference. She positions herself clearly on the side of practitioners as opposed to strict academics, but states that she tries to make her practice as well-grounded in scholarship as she can. She thanks the scholarly crowd for "letting me steal your work, as I do do and will do today."

Burns discusses her experiences with Original Practices and notes that, while different companies and scholars have different views on what that means, they all come down to: "let's not fight the text; let's go with it." She's curious about the idea of "male playing female, and what that does to the text," particularly what it does to jokes -- which she doesn't like to cut just because the reference isn't relevant. She wondered if the idea of men playing women would balance out the gender issues in Shrew. "What I found instead was, actually, a love story. A really sexy love story." It also produced a theme of identity.

She noted two challenges: 1) to get the audience to believe the man playing a woman as a female character, and 2) to make the audience perceive the relationship displayed as a heterosexual one, not a homosexual one. Her actors from Hidden Room then present the introduction between Kate and Petruchio (2.1), in (as in her production), late-sixteenth-century costumes and (lead-free) makeup. The scene is fast-paced and full of action, with a Kate visibly enjoying the challenge of sparring with Petruchio, and a Petruchio utterly unwilling to part company with her. Kate also seems moved (though somewhat uncomfortable) by a Petruchio speaking to her sexually -- as, this staging seems to suggest, no other man has ever done.

Burns notes that the scene is "a veritable cornucopia" of the techniques they use. She notes that, to make the steaminess palpable, they don't just go for the obvious sexual jokes, but also those words that "sound sexual" by virtue of their sonic qualities or the face-shapes the sounds cause. They also explored "non-standard touch", to break the expectation of the usual courtship interactions. She moves to the next scene, which she hopes will cause us to look at gender role and power.

In the "sun and moon" scene, 4.5, Kate's concession to Petruchio's declarations comes with more than a light touch of sarcasm -- but she laughs when Petruchio address Vincentio (an impromptu substitution of Matt Davies) as a fair mistress. When Kate gets the joke and flirts with Vincentio, Petruchio intervenes a bit hastily, to cut off a kiss -- which represents, as Burns points out, that she's now playing on an even field with him. They move to the final scene: 5.1, on the street -- the "kiss me, Kate" moment. Their frenetic energy slows to tender regard, but loses none of its passion.

Burns brings her actors out and first asks Ryan (Kate) about building the character. He talks about placing her "center" low, to ground her and also give her grace. Burns and Judd (Petruchio) talk about building the "uber-macho" Petruchio, who Judd describes as "the archetypal alpha male" who goes beyond the typical plateau of gentlemanly behavior.

Matt Davies opens up to questions from the audience for either presenter.

Click for notes on Q&A session at AustinLiveTheatre.com. . . .

Kickstarter Appeal: Hidden Room's 'Original Practices' Taming of the Shrew Travels to the American Shakespeare Center

Received notice on line of the following

appeal for $3250 by October 21:

The Hidden Room has been invited to present a staging session at the world famous American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Conference. We will be performing scenes from last year's Taming of the Shrew - Original Practices and discussing Original Practices techniques. This is our big chance to have our amazing Austin actors perform for some of the world's most renowned Shakesperean scholars.

But, first we need to get to Staunton, VA.

And preferably survive while we're there.

Plus it would be nice to return to Austin when we're done. We're fond of it.

Your donation of any amount will help fly our Hidden Room team to Staunton and provide accommodations while we are there. All our folks have already taken care of their own conference fees, but additional moneys raised will go to reimbursing those and other costs incurred on the road. Like food and other such niceties.

Throughout our week in Staunton, the Hidden Room will have the opportunity to learn from and meet with some real academic heroes in the world of Renaissance Drama. Then on Thursday October 27th, we will perform and present on the Blackfriars stage - an exquisite recreation of Shakespeare's original indoor playing house. You can help make a dream come true for our band of players, and allow us the chance to bring Austin to the American Shakespeare Center.

Take us to the ASC. They're waiting for us.

We are grateful for your support - more than you know.

[image by Kimberly Mead: Judd Farris as Petrucio, Ryan Crowder as Kate]

Click for details, FAQ, enticements and to donate at Kickstarter.com. . . .

Upcoming: You Wouldn't Know Him/Her, Taming of the Shrew tour, Hidden Room Theatre

Received directly, news from the Hidden Room, Austin, Texas:

The Hidden Room Theatre in Austin and London's Look Left Look Right are very proud to announce their original production You Wouldn't Know Her, She Lives in London / You Wouldn't Know Him, He Lives In Texas. This highly innovative romantic comedy promises to "link London and Austin through love and the Internet."

You Wouldn't Know Her, She Lives in London will turn audiences in the US and the UK into the friends and family of two lovers: one living in Austin, the other in London. Both actors and audience will be linked via video teleconferencing, interacting with one another to determine the future of the couple in question, as well as have a lot of fun together. The show will run Saturdays and Sundays, March 5th - 27th, at 2 p.m. in Austin and 8 p.m. in London. Upon reserving a seat, audience members will receive links to befriend the character couple through social media, and begin their introduction into this interactive world.

You Wouldn't Know Her, She Lives in London will also be represented at this year's SXSW Interactive in Austin Texas. The panel "Theatre Collaborations Via Skype: Turning Distance into Drama" is confirmed and scheduled for Saturday March 12th at 9:30am, and will be led by The Hidden Room Theatre and Look Left Look Right. This panel will also include a demonstration of the rehearsal process for "You Wouldn't Know Her" featuring the show's stars, London actress Molly Taylor and Austin actor Judd Farris.

Tour for 'Original Practices'

The Hidden Room is scheduling a tour of the Southwest for its The Taming of the Shrew, Original Practices, winding up in Los Angeles. Artistic Director Beth Burns has been giving sold-out workshops to actors on both improvisation and Shakespeare in London while working on this current production. She is planning to bring some of the Hidden Room's actors to the American Shakespeare Center for a staging session on Original Practices at the Blackfriars Conference in October 2011.

Partner company in London

Look Left Look Right is a documentary theatre company based in London. Their productions have won awards and sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Royal Court Theatre. Their current production Counted is touring "unusual political spaces" around the UK. Artistic Director Mimi Poskitt is currently interviewing people in the United States for an upcoming project which has yet to be announced formally.

Video by TerrKatok: The Taming of The Shrew,original practices production by Hidden Room Theatre

A two-minute "trailer" as memory document, posted by TerrKatok on YouTube six months after the sparkling production of The Taming of The Shrew by the Hidden Room Theatre in Austin:

Click for ALT review of the production, May 7, with links to additional reviews