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Students bring Shakespeare to life

YOUNG actors at Ripon Grammar School are putting the finishing touches to their unique production of one of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays.

The Taming of the Shrew, which they have set amid the music, fashions and changing attitudes of the 1960s, begins a two-night run on Thursday, March 27.

The action takes place in the mercantile world of commercial Padua and follows the fortunes in love of the Minola sisters, with the play exploring gender roles and the supposed submissiveness of women.

The principal cast of the school’s senior drama production includes Nancy Manners as Katharine, the spirited daughter of wealthy Baptista, and Monty Bleiker as Petruchio, who is looking for a rich wife to marry.

Nancy, who is studying the play at A-level, said: “I loved working through it in lessons so when I heard we were doing it, I knew immediately it was going to be fun. There’s so much to play with.

“And, of course, it’s Shakespeare, so you can’t really go far wrong, can you?”

Monty said he was looking forward to bringing the play to life: “Petruchio has a lot to bring to the stage, whether it be his undying sense of bravado or his capability to switch between being genuine and putting on a performance, or plainly his tendency to act insane in the name of a greater, calculated plan.”

Nancy said she fell in love with her character Katharine when she first read the play: “I often think she says what I wish I had the guts to say, which gives me a lot of respect for her. But also, she’s clearly more than just a shrew, which I’ve really enjoyed exploring.”

She discussed the controversy over whether the play promotes or condemns femininity: “It speaks volumes about the value of a woman’s identity. Like many parts of the play, we can see femininity being partially condemned in a mocking manner, as a way to promote it.”

Monty added: “I would say it is more about loyalty and the dynamics of power and gender roles within relationships. Performing in the play has given me a much deeper level of understanding of Shakespeare’s themes.

“As it progresses, yes, mind games and manipulation are involved in the ‘taming’ of Katharine, however, as the play progresses, it also hints at a deeper complexity in their relationship, suggesting the struggle for power might be a shared performance, raising questions about love, submission, and mutual respect in marriage.”

He added that he enjoyed playing such an ‘out there’ character: “It allows me to really go for it, which gives me so much freedom within the set script.”

*Curtain is up at 7pm, Thursday, 27 and Friday, 28 March, 7pm. £7/4 by ParentPay or on door