Taming Of The Shrew - Poster (US)
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
Welcome to the beginning.
When Ben asked me if I would consider directing Shakespeare, I flat out told him I didn't think anyone should direct Shakespeare. He asked me to think about it. So I did... I thought about if I wanted to direct Shakespeare and, if I did, what I would want to do with it. Then, I thought about why anyone should direct Shakespeare if they want to 'do something' with it.
All of that pondering led me to... What if we simply presented the play in its entirety, not cutting a single word? I was told audiences wouldn't understand jokes, that people wouldn't sit through a full text presentation, and that some of the plays needed to be 'fixed'. WE did it anyway :)
And THUS, Our First branch of Shakespeare: C.S.E. - Shakespeare, Suddenly- Was born.
In November 2024, Ben & I hosted a reading of The Taming of the Shrew to hear the play aloud - many of us, for the first time. In an effort to make every word count and to get us out of The Brick in under 3 hours, I worked with the actors on honoring not only Shakespeare's words, but the verse structure of his famous iambic pentameter. It was after that reading that the first seeds for This full production were planted.
what drew me to working on The Taming of the Shrew as our first play is the fact that it is one of the plays deemed most in need 'fixing' to land on a modern audience.
the play had a problem to be solved and it was up to a director to solve it.
I will not pretend to be the first director who holds the plays in such high regard, but I might be one of the few to surrender to them so completely that I won't cut a single word.
In fact, the entirety of my directing PRactice is predicated on the fact that I believe these plays are smarter than me. Not only that, I believe in the wisdom, the legacy, the tradition of 500 years of humans performing these plays. I believe that collective consciousness Knows more than I do, and really, more than any one person. With that in mind, for this production, rather than taking up the impossible task of 'fixing' the play, we made it our job to fall in love with it, to trust it, and perform it with that in mind.
Going back to that question of why I should direct Shakespeare... let alone start a journey to direct all of them?
I guess the answer is simple: I'm directing them because I believe that they are some of the best plays ever written.
You may be hoping for a synopsis of the The Taming of the Shrew. Sorry to disappoint you, but you won't find it here.
What you will find is a program full of people who have worked to make this production as clear, as exciting, and as full of life as they possibly could have. I couldn't have done it without their belief in me and this process.
You're about to see something not many people have: a full text performance of The Taming of the Shrew. I won't say much about the play itself except that I continue to find it extremely powerful and hilarious. I'll be happy to talk to you more, after.
I'm immensely proud of the work every single person has done on this project. It was a huge labor of not only love, but dedication, time, and heart. Thank you to my actors, my designers, and my directing and producing team.
this team has given us all a gift: their hard work and artistry has unlocked an ancient story, one that still begs to be told hundreds of years after it was written. I feel lucky to have directed it.
Thank you for spending your evening with us. We've made it worth your while.
It starts now.
-Karsten Otto
This project is dedicated to the memory of Charles Tuthill, who saw something in me before I did.
cast
Juan ARTURO*
Juan Arturo works as an actor in theater all around the country as well as New York City. Recently, he was Oedipus in Oedipus el Rey at the Huntington in Boston, Benvolio in Romeo & Juliet at Hartford Stage, and Bobby in Shane at The Guthrie. Catch him starring in Degenerates at Playwrights Horizons in the fall. Much love to his family, his cat, and everyone at Small Boat who made this possible.
EVAN AYER
Evan is thrilled to be making his Small Boat debut with such a lovely crew! He would like to thank his friend and unofficial manager Meg Gwyn for guiding him to this production. Offstage Evan can be found at your local game store with steam blowing out his ears. Evan receieved his BFA from the Hartt School. Favorite credits include Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Comedy of Errors. He hopes you're having a good day, and that you'll come say hey @evanmariner!
MARIO C. BROWN
Mario is so excited to be a collaborator in this contribution to the theatrical medium. Art has been a beacon of light and love for a long time in their life and Mario hopes to pay that energy forward as a brushstroke in the great mural that is this production of Shakespeare's "The Taming of The Shrew". Mario's previous credits include "Othello", "A Raisin in The Sun", "Gruesome Playground Injuries", "The Colored Museum", "Dutchman", "Blues for Mister Charlie", "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", "Ring Round The Moon" and "War Stories" among others. Big thanks to the cast, crew, and production team. Big thanks to you for showing up. Please continue to support independent art and the artists who make it. And most of all, Big Love to anyone who needs it.
LANGSTON DARBY*
Mississippi born, Langston resides in NYC and works on stage, camera, and voice-over. Currently, Langston writes and performs original, comedic, solo character sketches at UCB NY as a part of their mainstage Betty Team. If you have any little ones and a Hatch device, you may recognize him as the voice of Moon & other characters on "Moon Stories" & "Lulu's Late Night" on Hatch+. Past work includes Off-Broadway ("The Black History Museum...According to the United States of America" at HERE ARTS); audiobook narration (Penguin Random House Audio), and voicing characters in a podcast with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (Warner Bros. Animation). To learn more, check out www.langstondarby.com. Big thanks to Small Boat & kotto! Insta: @langstonhdarby
TRAINING: Atlantic Acting School, University of Southern Mississippi
PETRUCHIO
CURTIS / MERCHANT
TRANIO
BAPTISTA
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on July 25, 2026. All rights reserved.
