This weekend, Shakespeare’s ever-popular Taming of the Shrew will be performed at the Washington University campus. Whether through a 300-level lit class or a recent rental of 10 Things I Hate About You, most are familiar with the story of boy wins (and tames) girl.
However, the Little Furry Rodent Productions version of the classic will differ in one gender-bending way: the guys will play the girls’ parts, and the girls will play the parts of guys. It throws a whole new light on a story everyone thought they knew backwards and forwards.
“I cast this show the way I did in hopes that people would look beyond the male/masculine and female/feminine roles that people so often focus on with this play,” said director Mike Markham.
“It’s not about male domination over women, or the women turning the tables on the men in the end. I believe Shakespeare uses the traditional roles of his day to illustrate that vulnerability to your partner is prime for a healthy marriage,” he said.
Markham hopes that such an interpretation of the classic story will allow the audience to focus more on the actual text, and relate better to the play’s characters.
Markham, a senior majoring in acting, decided that he wanted to do Taming of the Shrew because, above all, it’s his favorite Shakespeare play.
Almost entirely by himself, Markham auditioned the actors, got the crew together, and petitioned CS40 and Student Union for funding. He named his newly formed company Little Furry Rodent Productions, and began work on the play soon after. While the effort is admittedly low budget, its spontaneous, creative and talented cast and crew make up for it in spades.
The cast of Shrew is quite young; the majority of the actors are underclassmen, with only one junior and one senior taking the stage. The lead role of Katherina is played by freshman Justin Wardell, and her lover Petrucio is played by freshman Amanda Barker. While the gender reversal will require the cast to portray members of the opposite sex, they will not appear in drag. They will rely on their acting skills alone to portray their character, which demands a lot of them.
Markham’s greatest challenge in putting together Shrew was the task of simply getting everything done.
“This was a new experience for me, in terms of producing a set and directing a show. At times, it can be difficult, but it’s a good challenge. It’s very different from acting-you don’t realize as an actor how much goes into the play,” he said.
The most rewarding part of being a director so far? “Seeing it come together,” Markham says. “When it all just starts to work, it becomes fun, and it’s very gratifying.”

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