‘Taming of the Shrew’ Auditions Friday, Saturday at TAMIU

Auditions for 22 roles in the upcoming Laredo Theatre Guild International (LTGI) production of “The Taming of the Shrew” are scheduled for Friday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in the Texas A&M International University Sam Johnson Experimental Theatre.

Prior experience in performing Shakespeare is not required. Auditions will consist of scenes read from the play; scripts will be provided. It is not necessary to prepare audition pieces.

There are 17 male roles of all sizes in the play. Most of them, including the leads, are mid-20s age ranges. Some call for mature actors of 40 or older and one requires a teen that can play 12 or 13.

For the five women’s roles, the two lead roles call for young women of college age and the three smaller female roles call for ages 30 and up.

Some, but not all of the roles will call for slapstick physical comedy, so be prepared for fun!

One of Shakespeare's most accessible works, and earliest comedies, “The Taming of the Shrew” is also one of the brightest and funniest, a merry knockabout farce about love and marriage.

It's the story of how two daughters of a wealthy merchant are wooed, won and wedded, and what happens afterwards. In addition to many staged productions, “The Taming of the Shrew” has been presented in the movies, most famously by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in the 1960’s and more recently in loosely adapted form in the 1999 romantic comedy, “10 Things I Hate About You,” starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.

“The Taming of the Shrew,” an LTGI production in cooperation with the TAMIU College of Arts and Sciences’ department of language and literature, will be performed March 25-28, 2010, in TAMIU’s recently completed 500-seat Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Theatre.

LTGI, which successfully opened its 2009-2010 Season with the musical “Man of La Mancha,” just completed a sold out weekend of the controversial drama, “Doubt: A Parable” by John Patrick Shanley.

For more information, contact John Maxstadt, director, at 717-9829 or john.maxstadt@gmail.com.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu