As You Like It
by Shrewd Productions
Dec. 19 - Dec. 20 (2015)
Shrewd's doing Shakespeare? Why Now?
You may not know it, but Shrewd's very name is a Shakespearean reference. "She was damnably cursed and shrewd". When I first decided to form a new company, I was inspired by Shawn Sides' (of Rude Mechs fame) masters thesis piece that she did on Taming of the Shrew. She focused on the idea of the "shrew" as being a person of remarkable talents or worth, thwarted and constricted by society from becoming who they are, and thence, turning into a "shrew". Or at least, that's what I took away from it. As a theatre artist who is primarily an actor, and as a female actor, with limited agency over what parts I got to play and what kind of theatre I got to do, it really resonated with me. When I started Shrewd, I did so with 3 co-founders: women I found to be extremely talented, but that weren't, for whatever reason, getting many opportunities to exercise those talents with existing companies.
Those exceptional artists became the core of Shrewd Productions. It's been ten years since that very first show, and the company has changed and grown, but our focus on creating opportunities for female artists - and for bringing unsung stories into the light, has remained.
Shrewd has long focused on new work, especially new work by female playwrights. But aside from new works, my other passion has always been Shakespeare. Over the years, I've become increasingly frustrated by the lack of opportunities for female actors and actors of color in the Shakespearean productions I've seen. It seems only natural that a company named for cursed Kate herself, should fly the banner for Shakespeare with an eye to gender parity and diversity in casting. Hence, Shakespeare: REPRESENT.
For our inaugural production, Shrewd presents Shakespeare's beloved romantic comedy As You Like It, directed by Lily Wolff with text direction from Rob Matney. Expect to see an As You Like It that stays unwaveringly true to Shakespeare's text, but an As You Like It unlike ANY you've ever seen before.
We hope you'll join us!
Sincerely,
Shannon Grounds
Producing Artistic Director
Shrewd Productions is holding auditions for Shakespeare's As You Like It, directed by Lily Wolff, on December 19th and 20th from 1-4 pm at the UT Fine Arts Building. The show will run February 18 - March 5 at Trinity Street Theatre, with the possibility of a 1-weekend extension. This is not an all-female production, but there will be lots of cross-gender casting. All artists will be compensated.
Email shrewdproductions@gmail.com to make an appointment. Please let us know in your email what roles you are interested in.
