On Wednesday, August 27, at 9 p.m., the Thessalian Theater will present its new summer production, William Shakespeare’s classic comedy “The Shrew Turned Lamb,” translated by Kostas Karthaios and directed by Eleni Boza.
A troupe of wandering actors brings William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy to life on stage, in a performance that balances theater and social reality. The inventive “theater within theater” permeates the structure of the play, blurring the boundaries between stage and life, the socio-political and theatrical roles of humans, fiction and reality.
Inspired by this Shakespearean device, director Eleni Boza has put together a contemporary bouzouki band: a troupe that travels from place to place, from “homeland to homeland,” carrying on the tradition of wandering into the present day. A troupe that moves not only in space but also in time—arriving in the 21st century to narrate, with humor and theatricality, timeless stories of human relationships.
Through laughter, satire, and subversion, the performance comments on the eternal human struggle to move from an era of coercion to a world free from social constraints on personal choice, from imposition to desire.
This will happen, and it must be done with great skill, my dear sirs. It will be great fun for us if it is done with the necessary discretion.
~ William Shakespeare, Prologue to “The Taming of the Shrew”
The performance touches on timeless issues, focusing on the position of women in society.
A few words about the project
Batista, father of Katerina and Bianca, comes face to face with social norms and family dynamics. Katerina, the eldest, is a dynamic, stubborn, and independent woman who refuses to submit to the rules of the time and accept the marriages proposed to her.
The turning point comes with the arrival of Petrouzios, a young aristocrat who undertakes to achieve the impossible: to “tame” Katerina’s rebellious spirit. What follows is an intelligent and hilarious clash of characters and ideas, which traverses the boundaries between love, power, and freedom, ultimately resulting in a true love story.
Director’s note
A group of actors traverses time with Shakespeare’s plays in their repertoire… They land in the 21st century, choosing to perform “The Taming of the Shrew” once again… Could this particular play be relevant to the present day? Does the human race continue to think, act, and fall in love in terms of ownership? Or has it finally begun to seek a different approach to the important things in life? Our theater people seem to believe that even now—even with its cracks—patriarchy is still going strong… And they intend to show us this in the only way they know how… through laughter. Because laughter is liberating. It innocently reflects the phenomenon of life and at the same time strips the soul bare…
Amidst the riveting savagery of the times, comedy offers not the release of anger but its creative use. We identify with each other so that we can continue to question and act. Even if only a little. Even if only a little more. With a little more empathy for the Other… the different, the foreign… After all, we all try to define our identity from the beginning…
So our bouzouki, with song and laughter, will bring out our dark side so we can exorcise it! And Katerina, the “strigla,” will continue to wander through the centuries, not to become a “lamb,” but to remind us that we must try a little harder to understand the Other, the different, and thus surrender to its charm…
Eleni Boza