The intermezzo. Photo by Lia Chang
Vivian Thurman and I attended the opening night performance of Ed Sylvanus Iskandar’s bold new interpretation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, featuring the music of Duncan Sheik, at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Sidney Harman Hall in Washington D.C. on May 24, 2016.
Telly Leung, André De Shields and Maulik Pancholy. Photo by Lia Chang
Maulik Pancholy as Katherina and Peter Gadiot as Petruchio. Photo by Lia Chang
The all-male cast includes Maulik Pancholy (Broadway: It’s Only A Play) “Weeds,” “30 Rock”) and Peter Gadiot (“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”) as Katherina and Petruchio, and features two-time Tony nominee André De Shields (Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Wiz, The Full Monty, Play On!) as Gremio/Curtis/Vincentio; Oliver Thornton (West End: The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables) as Bianca; Drew Foster (Doctor Zhivago) as Biondello; Rick Hammerly as Widow; Telly Leung (Allegiance, Godspell, Rent, Pacific Overtures and Flower Drum Song) as Lucentio; Gregory Linington as Grumio; Matthew Russell as Tranio; Tom Story as Hortensio; Bernard White as Baptista; with James Crichton, Stephen Elrod, Jamison Foreman, Jackson Knight Pierce, Brian Reisman and Nicholas Yenson rounding out the Ensemble.
Spilling from the stage into the lobbies and the street, director Ed Sylvanus Iskandar’s production presents a provocative new approach to The Taming of the Shrew and an utterly unique audience experience.
Noted for his epic and immersive style, Iskandar extends the world of the production beyond the stage, creating a deeply engaging experience for audience members. In line with this vision, STC invokes the atmosphere of an Italian piazza (the Piazza d’Amore) in the Harman lobbies and offers audience and community members the opportunity to engage with the performers of The Taming of the Shrew off-stage preshow, during a musical intermezzo and postshow.
During the preshow, cast members Gregory Linington, Telly Leung and Matthew Russell entertain audience members on the sidewalk in front of Sidney Harmon Hall in Washington D.C. on May 24, 2016. Photo by Lia Chang
PRESHOW
THE MUSICAL INTERMEZZO
Vivian and I got a glass of prosecco from the minibar and headed onstage to enjoy the musical intermezzo with other audience members.
POSTSHOW
After the curtain call, audience members had the opportunity to mingle with the actors in the lobby.
The creative team includes Scenic Designer Jason Sherwood, Costume Designer Loren Shaw, Lighting Designer Seth Reiser, Sound Designer Jeremy S. Bloom, Choreography by Chase Brock, Music Supervisor/Arranger David Dabbon, Music Director Jody Schum, Associate Costume Designer Dana Burkart and Assistant Lighting Designer Jimmy Lawlor. Iskandar is supported by Voice and Text Coaches Gary Logan and Ellen O’Brien, and assisted by Production Stage Manager Joseph Smelser and Assistant Stage Manager Robyn M. Zalewski. Craig Baldwin serves as Immersive Designer and Iskandar’s Assistant Director.
OPENING NIGHT PARTY
André De Shields as Vincentio. Costume Design by Loren Shaw.
The Taming of the Shrew began preview performances on May 17, and continue through June 26 at STC’s Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) in Washington D.C. To purchase tickets or to learn more, patrons can call the box office at 202.547.1122 or visit ShakespeareTheatre.org.
Stephen Elrod, Matthew Russell, Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, Brian Reisman, André De Shields, James Crichton, Jody Schum and Telly Leung. Photo by LIa Chang
ABOUT THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY
Recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) is the nation’s leading premier classical theatre company. Today, STC is synonymous with artistic excellence and making classical theatre more accessible to audiences in and around the nation’s capital.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Kahn and Executive Director Chris Jennings, STC’s innovative productions inspire dialogue that connects classic works to the modern human experience. The Company focuses on works with profound themes, complex characters and poetic language written by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and the playwrights he influenced in order to preserve and promote classic theatre—ambitious, enduring plays with universal themes—for all audiences.
A leader in arts education, STC has a stable of initiatives that teach and excite learners of all ages, from school programs and adult acting classes to accessible community programming like play-relevant discussion series and the Free For All. For the past 25 years the Free For All program has offered an annual remount of a popular production completely free of charge to all audience members.
Located in downtown Washington, D.C., STC performs in two theatres, the 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre and the 774-seat Sidney Harman Hall. In addition to STC productions appearing year-round, these spaces also accommodate presentations from outstanding local performing arts groups and nationally renowned organizations. The Company has been a fixture in the vibrant Penn Quarter neighborhood since 1992.
Matthew Russell, Telly Leung, Lia Chang, André De Shields, Maulik Pancholy and a guest. Photo by James Babcock
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Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
Lia Chang Photography 