The Tamer Tamed by John Fletcher. Creative Arts Auditorium, York St John University. Sunday April

In a rare opportunity to experience John Fletcher’s sequel to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, York Shakespeare Project presents a rehearsed reading of the Jacobean comedy, The Tamer Tamed (or The Woman’s Prize) to help close the York International Shakespeare Festival.

YSP Chair, Tony Froud, explains: “We are very happy to borrow an idea from Greg Doran who staged both plays in tandem, using the same cast, in his productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2003.  Fletcher’s play is a deliberate and very entertaining response to Shakespeare’s original.”

YSP’s rehearsed reading is being directed by Claire Morley, who is Assistant Director on The Taming of the Shrew, which runs for 6 performances during the week (Tuesday April 23 – Saturday April 27) before the same cast present Fletcher’s play on the Sunday (April 28). 

“We are enormously grateful to our very talented cast for committing to perform a second play, but the actors couldn’t resist the challenge of exploring Fletcher’s fascinating take on Shakespeare”, comments Claire. “Luckily they don’t have to learn any more lines, as this will be a script in hand reading”.

Claire is no stranger to YSP, having appeared in several of its productions, notably its 2015 all female Henry V, directed by Maggie Smales, who is also directing The Taming of the Shrew.

“It is a joy to be working with Maggie again and we are very lucky to have such a fabulous cast”, Claire adds.

In Fletcher’s sequel, the widowed Petruchio has a new wife and a new challenge as he discovers that he is not the only one who can do the taming.

Fletcher borrows characters from Shakespeare and Ben Jonson and a key plot device from Ancient Greek dramatist Aristophanes and the result is a richly entertaining exploration of the battle of the sexes.  Almost literally.