Niles West Theatre Presents "The Taming of the Shrew"

The Niles West High School Theatre Department will bring Shakespeare’s bawdy comedy “The Taming of the Shrew” to the Black Box Theatre at 5701 Oakton, Skokie on February 23 through 25. Performances are at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 24 and Saturday, February 25. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students, senior citizens and children. Call the Box Office at (847) 626-2633. A free community performance will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 23.

“The Taming of the Shrew,”  believed to have been written in 1590, centers around Katherine, a headstrong woman who is unwillingly paired with Petruchio, a gentleman who is brought to town to “tame” this “wild beast” into marriage so that Katherine’s younger (and more desired) sister may marry. Modern audiences will see that good humor and playwriting has no expiration date.

The cast includes:  Rachel Prale as Katherine, Steven Czajkowski as Petruchio, Alex Wood as Baptista Minola, Katie Buckley as Bianca, Surdeep Chauhan as Lucentio, Andre Eramia as Tranio, Daniel Bedoya as Gremio, Cameron Broderick as Hortensio, Yassir Dasser as Grumio, Jason Magel as Biondello, Anahita Karimi as Widow/Ensemble, Gabe Flippo as Merchant/Ensemble, Peter Garbis as Vincentio/Ensemble, Joe Anderson as Curtis/Ensemble, Sithara Vincent as Nathaniel/Ensemble, Sharon Pasia as Phillip/Ensemble, Renee Castillo as Joseph/Ensemble, Sherlina Chauhan as Nicholas/Ensemble, Merrick McWherter as Peter/Ensemble, Suzy Montoya-Quinchia as Tailor/Ensemble, Mira Berkson as Haberdasher/Ensemble and Keenan Morales as Minstrel/Ensemble.

Crew Heads:  Assistant Director: Marina Spasova; Stage Manager: Zachary Tarnoff; Assistant Stage Manager:  Lila Gilbert; Costume Head: Amy Sands; Master Electrician: Aria Caldwell; Paint Lead: Becca Gratch; and Prop Master: Sarah Meehan. Running Crew:  Scott Albaum, Maria Coss, Samantha Elkin, Caleigh Havansek and Brian R. Sands.

Production Team:  Director: Andy Sinclair; Technical Director/Scenic Design: Steven George; Costume/Properties Design: Kimberly Morris; Lighting Design: Charlotte Rathke; Sound Design: Adam Rosenthal; and Box Office Management: Cynthia Philbin and Jackie Garvey.