Franciosi 1

Jenna Franciosi
Hansen
Intro to Theatre WE

American Conservatory Theatre of San Franciscos (ACT)

The Taming of the Shrew
Production Response
The American Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco created a ground breaking
performance of William Shakespeares The Taming of the Shrew in 1976. Director Kirk
Brownings effective decision to heavily draw elements from Commedia dellArte a form of
comic improvisational theatre that flourished in Italy from the late sixteenth century to the
eighteenth century (Wilson and Goldfarb 75)- provided not only an authentic, but artistically
grand viewing experience. The style of this performance is drenched in key facets of commedia,
such as costuming, set design, and staging.
A vital aspect of commedia theatre is its use of stock characters characters that
symbolize and throw into bold relief a particular type of person to the exclusion of virtually
anything else. (Wilson and Goldfarb 75) While the use of these stock characters in The Taming
of the Shrew should mostly be accredited to Shakespeare, Brownings choice to dress the actors
in traditional commedia stock character costuming enhanced each characters personality
effectively. The use of patch work on a character like Petruchio gave us hints that he was a
Harlequin a comic character in commedia dell'arte and the harlequinade, usually masked,
dressed in multicolored, diamond-patterned tights (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) in
traditional commedia theatre Harlequins were generally selfish and dishonest, sometimes

Franciosi 2
scheming and cruel; always imprudent in their own way, very similar to Petruchios character.
His vain nature is also shown through his over-all lack of clothing throughout the play, his no
shirt-white tights combo leaves little to the imagination, letting us know his character is
confident to say the least. Along with personality traits, the costuming of Shrew showed us the
social-economic status of characters. For example; Tranios clothing compared to Lucentios in
act I scene I clearly shows Lucentios position over Tranio, with Lucentios hat and coat being
far more luxurious and boastful along with his prominent white gloves. This is even further
highlighted when they trade identities later on in the play. Additionally, the use of hats is possibly
the most blatant way of depicting the social statuses of characters. The higher the hat-the higher
the class!
ACTs set for Taming of The Shrew profoundly reflects key traits of Commedia culture.
In Commedia dellarte the set is traditionally barren, aside from a few convenient set pieces like
a chair or table. Actors and audiences had to rely solely on theatrical convention for an effective
performance. The ACT of San Franciscos set was by no means flashy or equipped. Its simple
and open design allowed actors to move freely with grand actions. The use of a desolate set such
as this allows the actors to become the entire focus and spectacle for the audience. Taking a
closer look at the set, it becomes clearer that the ground is actually a platform built above the
stage floor! This may directly link to Commedias use of portable wooden stage boards that
acting troops would set up in squares to perform on. Also, the set is surrounded by thrust-like
seating filled with clowns. The decision to add an on stage audience adds a unique viewing
element. The ACTs attention to innate details such as this further augments their already
flawless show.

Franciosi 3
The set of Shrew acted as a playground for characters throughout its entirety. The amount
of technique that went into staging this production is unimaginable. Every movement is a wellchoreographed art piece. There is an undoubtable element of slapstick threaded through out the
play but it is more than just poking each other in the eyes and thumping each others noses. Its
dance-like acrobatics. For example Petruchios bold and captivating way of swinging and diving
throughout the space in act III scene III. Easily, his character could have simply walked or run
across stage. But instead he leaps from bar to bar of strategically placed scaffolding, conquering
the stage and commanding attention with each bound he takes. The scene is an entire show by its
self. The directors and actors ability to envision and successfully carry out such an enthralling
and detailed spectacle all within the span of about four minutes is extraordinary. Browning took
Commedias idea of lazzi- turn or trick or Italian business (The Acting Style of Commedia
DellArte) to a whole other level.
In short, the American Conservatory Theatre of San Francisco brought Shakespeares
comedy The Taming of The Shrew to life. The Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer, and
actors created an unforgettable performance that provided an authentic and profligate viewing
experience for the audience. Taking elements of Commedia and fusing them with modern theatre
made this show a performance for the books. It is undoubtedly so that Browning and his
company set a new standard for Commedia DellArte by mending these two theatrical styles
together. This show created a new style, Modern Commedia. Each time this production is
watched new details and quirks unfold before the viewers eyes, it is almost impossible to take in
the beauty and complexity of this show in just one sitting. As Sly says; Tis a very excellent
piece of work, madam lady (Shakespeare act I scene I)

Franciosi 4
Works Cited
Wilson, Edwin, and Alvin Goldfarb. Theater: The Lively Art. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991.
Print.
Shakespeare, William, and Burton Raffel. The Taming of the Shrew. New Haven [Conn.: Yale
UP, 2005. Print.
"The Acting Style of the Commedia Dell Arte." The Acting Style of the Commedia Dell Arte.
Web. 9 Oct. 2015.
The Taming of the Shrew. Dir. Kirk Browning. American Theatre Conservatory of San
Francisco, 1976. DVD.