Buffalo Theater: This rendition brings a commedia dell’arte approach

By Elmer Ploetz
(L-R: Scott Borish and Sandra Roberts as Grumio and Katherine. All photos courtesy Shakespeare in Delaware Park)

As Shakespeare in Delaware Park approaches the opening of its second production of the summer, “Taming of the Shrew,” on Thursday night, it is exiting the somewhat obscure for the familiar.

SIDP’s first production, “Pericles, Prince of Tyre,” was a non-First Folio play that the company was staging for the first time as it celebrates its 51st season. The weather treated the production nearly as roughly as it did that play’s main character, but the show was a delight when it was able to work around the thunder, lightning and rain.

“Taming of the Shrew” faces different challenges beyond the weather. The play has been stage four previous times (1982, 1994, 2004, 2016) on Shakespeare Hill. Each time it faces the question of how its seeming misogyny will play in the modern world.

After all, Katherine (Kate) is the fun part of the play, a sharp-tongued woman who can cow any man brought before her. Imaging what she would be like in an age of social media, podcasts and comedy clubs. And the taming of this “shrew,” played by Sandra Roberts, is the key plot line in the play within the play.

But there’s more going on, according to Lisa Ludwig, the executive director of Shakespeare in Delaware Park since 2006 (and no stranger herself to playing very strong female characters).

“I’ve seen the show, I’ve been in the show, and as a woman I think I have a different take than most people,” Ludwig said. ” At the end, I always found that she was tamed, but so was he. When I watch it, I’ve always looked at it as they both found what they needed for each other to work, as opposed to he made her not be her. Well, he made her want to be something different.”

Brendan Didio, the director, said “I think our our version this summer does kind of align with where you’re coming from, Lisa, where they both kind of take something away from each other, just like we do from the people that we love. We spend enough time with the people that we love and care about, and we pick up on the little things that help them be who they are. And sometimes we we emulate that, so I do think that both of those characters learn from each other.”

There is also an issue of the “induction,” an introduction not much used by Shakespeare that sets up a play within a play, framing the story.

SIDP is known for setting Shakespeare’s plays in different settings, but the twist with this production of “Taming of the Shrew” has more to do with the staging than the setting.

“We are loosely set in the Italian Renaissance. Specifically, we’re looking at the 1590s, so it would be generally considered traditional,” said Didio. “I think with the induction, that kind of framing device … I think that’s an opportunity for us to really dial up some of the theatricality with this production, and so I’m pulling from different elements of commedia dell’arte in the use of masks and puppetry, and that kind of like big physical comedy.”

Commedia dell’arte was a comedy form that spread from Italy during Shakespeare’s lifetime, using masks and costumes to represent archetypes.

“It was very interesting with Brendan’s commedia dell’arte and the mask work that he’s doing,” said Ludwig. ” I haven’t seen every show we’ve done in 51 years, but that’s really not something we’ve done before. So I think that’s a really cool and original take, and something neat to to have the audience experience as well.”

How the play was picked is an example of how SIDP has been evolving in recent years. For decades, the program’s founder, the late Saul Elkin, picked the plays.

“When Saul was going to retire, we decided to get a artistic committee together,” said Ludwig. “… Then we invited directors to submit their proposals. So it opened it up for directors who have never worked with us before who always wanted to, directors who have worked with us, and they could put in a proposal for anything. It could be, ‘I’m really thinking we should do “Romeo and Juliet” on the moon, and here’s why it would work.’

“And then the artistic panel would read all the proposals, and then they would choose from that group a number of people to come back and be interviewed. So since we’ve been doing proposals, which I think is five years, we’ve been getting anywhere between 22 and 25 proposals a year. So then the artistic committee … They’d say, ‘Let’s call in these six people or these eight people,’ and then they would do an interview with them. Then, after that, the committee sits together again and says, ‘We think these are the best two shows for this season.'”

The proposal from Didio, who is also the business development manager for SIDP, was one of the two selected.

The casting has also changed in recent years, with a more diverse set of actors from more sources.

“Especially in the last 20 years, there is a huge influx of actors staying here in Buffalo,” said Ludwig. “So let’s go back 30 years ago. There might have been a handful of of actors who were doing stuff everywhere, and of that handful, there was even fewer who were doing Shakespeare, and it was the same directors, right? So you would see the same people over and over again because that kind of got to be the niche of people who were available in the summer and did Shakespeare.

“Now, this past year, we had 175 in-person actors audition, and probably another 40 or 50 people who sent in tapes. So over 200 people who auditioned for us, and our goal with our directors is to cast who you think is best for the roles.

“And we’re also doing a lot more outreach, going to colleges to get people to audition. We hold a workshop now. I think this will be our fourth year before we have auditions over at Ujima Theater Company, invite all people from Western New York who are actors come to this audition, find out which shows we’re doing, meet the directors.

“Because sometimes people were afraid to audition for Shakespeare. Like, ‘Oh, I’ve never done Shakespeare before. Can I do it?’ And we’re like, ‘Yes, you can come in and audition. So it is really cool over the last few years to see a lot of veterans who’ve worked with us a lot, a bunch of people in the last five years who’ve now become veterans who’d never worked with us before, but now have been there and love it, and then new people.

“So it is really in in my seat, so cool when I go to the hill every night and go, ‘Wow, look at that person who’s never been here before. It’s awesome!”

SIDP has been actively reaching out to get beyond the directors’ circles of acquaintances.

“Gretchen (Didio), who’s our education coordinator, makes sure we try to get workshops at every college,” Ludwig said. “So instead of a teacher at the school going, ‘Hey, Brendan, you should go audition,’ we want to go in and tell them why they should audition for us. So I’m very proud of what Gretchen has been doing to do outreach in the educational community as well.”

This year’s cast includes Sandra Roberts as Katherine, Derek Emerson Powell as Petruchio, Kevin Craig as Tranio, Jake Hayes as Lucentio, Bridgette Turner as Bianca, Howie Schaal as Baptista, Scott Borish as Grumio and Christopher Sly, Jeremy Kreuzer as Gremio, Dan Urtz as Hortensio, Chantel Brooks as Vincentio, Yamilex Holguin Perez as the tailor, Mike Benoit as Curtis, Sivan Adler as the hostess and Christopher Buettner as Biondello.

The production team largely completed its switch to a new set within days of “Pericles” closing on July 12. In fact, the new set was already up and painted within two days.

Now it’s (almost) time for the play. Here is the general information, as per SIDP:

Performances

Admission is free, although audience members are encouraged to donate. SIDP is a nonprofit and needs audience support to continue providing shows.

Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays. “Taming of the Shrew will run from Thursday (July 23) through Aug. 16.

All performances begin at 7 p.m. It is best to arrive at least a half hour prior to the start of the show.

Performances are held on Shakespeare Hill in Delaware Park next to Hoyt Lake and behind the Rose Garden, off Lincoln Parkway near the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

What to Bring

You may bring lawn chairs and/or blankets. The area closest to the stage at the bottom of the hill is reserved for blankets only, the top of the hill allows for blankets and chairs.

You may bring food, beverages, etc.  But respect the beautiful park and dispose of your garbage.

Cancellations

The safety of our audience and actors is our first priority. Weather conditions change quickly through our area. We will hold the show if we think it the rain will pass or cancel the show if the weather is severe. In the case of heavy rain or lightning storms, we will cancel the performance.

We normally never cancel a show before 6:30 p.m.

The best way to know if a show is cancelled due to weather is to follow SIDP on Facebook. Decisions are typically made after 6:30 p.m. or close to curtain.