Young Cast Tackles Timeless Shakespeare Love Story

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday 4 November 2012

Young Cast Tackles Timeless Shakespeare Love Story

Among the textured landscape of punks and Goths, lycra and fluro wear, brick cellphones and enormous shoulder pads, we meet high flying CEO Baptista Minola; solo mother of two complicated daughters who juggles the feminist dream of a successful career with raising a family. Can the modern 80’s woman cope with it all or is this a family environment that creates a Shrew; a young woman who struggles with the changing definition of a woman’s role in a man’s world?

The Young Auckland Shakespeare Company bursts onto the scene with their debut production of The Taming of the Shrew, set amongst a rich palette of design influenced by Siouxsie Sioux, the Sex Pistols, Grange Hill, Dynasty, and any 80’s rom com you care to remember. Playing to the strengths of the cast (aged 14 to 20), this classic love story is brought to life through the angst and antics of public school teenagers.

YASC founder Rita Stone directs the inaugural event. She is an actor, tutor and director who travelled to London last year with the Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ’s (SGCNZ) “Teachers Go Global” scheme. Rita has taught at Massey University, the UNITEC School of Performing and Screen Arts, the Performing Arts School of NZ and Western Springs College. She established the Legacy Shakespeare Company in the early 2000s, producing summer Shakespeare productions at the Parnell Rose Gardens for 4 years. In 2011 Rita won ‘Outstanding Play’ for her year 13 production of “Mother Courage” at the AMI Showdown Awards. She is currently one of the founders of The Shakespeare Club in Auckland and the Program Manager for The Actors’ Program.

Rita is passionate about Shakespeare and about young people creating theatre. Above all she is driven by finding practical ways to work with these timeless texts, in order to allow young actors to expand their understanding of language and expression, and to explore the universal themes that are key to developing an awareness of what it means to be human. “I also love the fact that outside of the school classroom, we have a platform for young people to come together and explore 400 year old scripts in this environment that transcends age and year level and curriculum. Line our young cast up in a row and you may not be able pick the year 9 student from the second-year university student. They all learn from each other and they all bring such passion and vitality to the work.”

The Young Auckland Shakespeare Company also offers an Intro to Playing Shakespeare Open Class through the TAPAC Performing Arts Programme. Our tutors include Lara Fischel-Chisholm and Nisha Madhan. Visit the TAPAC website or Young Auckland Shakespeare Company website for more information.

The Young Auckland Shakespeare Company presents:
The Taming of the Shrew
Directed by Rita Stone
TAPAC Theatre
Wednesday 5 – Saturday 8 December 7pm
Matinee Saturday 8 December 2pm

www.youngaucklandshakespeare.com

Bookings: www.tapac.org.nz or phone 845 0295

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