The Taming of The Shrew: The Experiment

This Taming of the Shrew is a high octane comedy that punches in the gut.

One of Shakespeare’s most controversial works, “The Taming of the Shrew” sees an immovable object and an unstoppable force meet when fierce Katherine (labelled a venomous, disobedient woman or “shrew” that needs to be “tamed”) and mysterious outsider Petruchio are forced into marriage by a society keen to get rid of them.

Does he “tame” her into a submissive wife, or do the Othered pair join forces to con a society that answers their gender nonconformity with violence?

Shrew: The Experiment from Worlds Elsewhere Theatre Company play-tests from multiple viewpoints.

Should we still perform Shakespeare’s Shrew in the 21st century? Is Petruchio a nonconforming outsider freeing Kate from the oppressive system? Or is he an abusively misogynist part of this system? Are the fights slapstick, sexy or serious? You decide.

This first-of-its-kind theatrical experiment places Shakespeare’s iconic battle-of-the-sexes firmly in the 21st century, where nonconformity of all kinds is still answered with violence.

Using innovative technology to place the power in the hands of the audience, Shrew: The Experiment shares the firebrand leading roles of Katherine and Petruchio between one male & one female actor, using videogame aesthetics to explore different interpretations of their relationship, with you the audience deciding who plays who!