Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company is proud to announce that their fourth summer of Free Theatre in the Parks will feature a production of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew with newlyweds playing the leading roles. The romantic comedy, directed by Damon Bonetti, will offer free performances in outdoor public spaces throughout the 5-County area of Philadelphia from July 10th through July 30th.

The production is set in the 1950's, a decade before the sexual revolution, maintaining the integrity of this sometimes controversial but always hysterical "battle of the sexes" as written by William Shakespeare over 400 years ago. The play features Trice Baldwin as Katherine "the shrew" whose sweet and dutiful sister Bianca is not allowed to wed until her older sister is married. Bianca's many suitors team up to find Kate a husband while plotting their own way to Bianca's hand. Petruchio, played by Baldwin's real life husband Joshua L. Browns, arrives in town and takes on the challenge to 'tame' the fiery Kate and the fireworks begin.

The Taming of the Shrew will be a reunion for many CCTC company artists from our 2006 Free Theatre in the Parks program with accomplished theatre artist, Damon Bonetti, CCTC's Benedick in 2006's Much Ado About Nothing, taking on the role of director this summer. Bonetti says, "The Taming of the Shrew is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays. In the past year there have been five productions in this area alone. I've been involved in two of them! Despite its popularity many critics consider The Taming of the Shrew a 'problem play' because of its treatment - the 'taming,'- of Kate. I believe this play is about two people who don't fit into their society and come to realize that there is no one in the world more perfect for them than each other.their verbal and physical sparring mask their undeniable attraction and love at first sight."

Producing Artistic Director, Mary Ann Baldwin agrees. "While there is contemporary unease in Kate's treatment by Petruchio in the play, I refuse to believe that the man who wrote such wonderful women including Beatrice, Portia, Viola and Rosalind, would want us to think that the 'taming' of Kate stands for his real feelings on the role of women in society. Could it be that he meant the 'taming' in the title to refer to the taming of the heart? If so, then the 'taming' is mutual and exclusive to Kate and Petruchio. Call me romantic but I believe this play to be about trust, true understanding and love between two rebel souls."

"In the end," says Bonetti, "after all the hi-jinks, this play is a celebration of the compromises of marriage and, as Harold Bloom has called the play, "the mutual triumph of Kate and Petruchio, who rather clearly are going to be the happiest married couple in Shakespeare."

CCTC's Free Theatre in the Parks program began in 2005 with a production of George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, followed by 2006's Much Ado About Nothing and 2007's production of Pierre Marivaux's The Game of Love and Chance. It has grown from a weekend of performances to almost a full month of performances in parks throughout the Philadelphia area.

Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company (CCTC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded and incorporated in 2005 in the state of Pennsylvania. CCTC is dedicated to the principle that theatre is a vital component of a civil society. It is our mission to present theatrical works from both the classic and contemporary canons that bear witness to the rich variety and commonality of human experience and which enhance our audience's appreciation of theatre as a humanizing art form. Theatre, of all the arts, is uniquely able to offer a magical and ephemeral communal experience - an experience that has been enhancing the quality of communal life for thousands of years. CCTC's first program is dedicated to ensuring this age-old tradition by bringing "Free Theatre in the Parks" to public spaces in and around the 5 counties of Philadelphia.

*This project was made possible through the 5-County Arts Fund, a Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency.

WHO:
Commonwealth Classic Theatre Company

WHAT:
The Taming of the Shrew

WHERE/WHEN:
Thursday, July 10 - Wednesday, July 30
Check website for updates: www.commonwealthclassictheatre.org
**All performances are free and open to the public in public spaces. The Schuylkill Center is a nonprofit educational facility that will charge a small entrance fee. All fees go to support the Centers Educational Programming.

The Taming of the Shrew
Producing Artistic Director: Mary Ann Baldwin
Director: Damon Bonetti
Production Manager/Set Design: Timothy Martin
Stage Manager: Danielle Kindt
Costume Designer: Ingrid Inglestrom
Assistant Costume Designer: Bobby Fabulous
Scenic Charge/Properties Designer: Amanda Hatch
Technical Director: Michael Hazeltine
Light Coordinator: Stephen Dombkoski

Cast:
Krista Apple (Bianca), Trice Baldwin (Katherine), Joshua L. Browns (Petruchio), Andrew Gorrell (Tailor/Biondello), Dave Johnson (Grumio), Arnold Kendall (Vincentio/Priest/Sugarsop), Nick Martorelli (Lucentio), Paul Parente (Hortensio), Bill Pollock (Gremio/Pedant/Walter), Jerry Puma (Baptista), Amie Shafer (Curtis /Widow), David Sweeny (Tranio)