A historic production of The Taming of the Shrew featuring an all-female lineup is currently showing at the Maynardville Open-Air Festival in Cape Town. Shakespeare ZA spoke to some of the stars of the production: Buhle Ngaba (Bianca), Lynita Crofford (Baptista), Ann Juries (Grumio), Kate Pinchuck (Hortensio), and Naledi Majola (Tranio).
Buhle Ngaba
as Bianca
Photo Credit: Jesse Kramer.
Tell us a little bit about your character. What can audiences expect from her?
I play Bianca (although I've given her the nickname "Binx", so that's what the cast call her), sass queen extraordinaire and Katharina's younger sister. I've found playing her so much fun because she is actually quite a complex character; she is the centre of most men’s universe and she knows this and plays it to her advantage. Bianca knows there is currency to be gained in playing the patriarchal society she lives in, so that's exactly what she does. She's uncompromising, has a huge heart, and audiences can expect a lot of laughs from her.
How have you experienced performing as part of an all-female cast?
I have really loved being part of an all-female cast and I am in awe of the womxn I step onto stage with each night. To be surrounded by grit, determination, and perseverance is inspiring, and I'm incredibly proud of our cast.
The opportunity to directly disrupt perceptions of Shakespeare has been wonderful.
What attracted you to doing this play?
I was attracted to do this play because I won the Brett Goldin Bursary in 2016 and was given the opportunity to go to the Royal Shakespeare Company, and so the opportunity to implement all that I learnt there in #TamingCT has been wonderful.
What has been the most rewarding part of the your role for so far?
The most rewarding aspect of my role so far has been the opportunity to play a young and fresh Bianca of colour for young audiences. Representation within the arts community is still so limited in so many ways, so the opportunity to directly disrupt perceptions of Shakespeare has been wonderful.
Lynita Crofford
as Baptista
Photo credit: Jesse Kramer.
Tell us a little bit about your character. What can audiences expect from him?
Baptista is a wealthy businessman and father to Katherina and Bianca. He loves both of his daughters, even the strong willed Katherina, but has a soft spot for his younger daughter Bianca. He is a very powerful character and is held in high esteem. Baptista is driven by his love of money.
How have you experienced performing as part of an all-female cast?
It has been a wonderful process. The cast are extremely supportive and generous and rehearsals have been a lot of fun, with lots of laughter and a sharing of various experiences.
Could you tell us about what you have felt and/or learned in the process of playing a male character?
For me it was all about finding the physicality of the character. I spent a lot of time observing men. How they walk and sit, and the way they speak. It was also interesting to discover how comfortable it is wearing men’s clothing!
The cast are extremely supportive and generous, and rehearsals have been a lot of fun ...
What attracted you to doing this play?
I really wanted to do another Shakespeare play and perform at Maynardville again. The last time was in 1983 when I played the part of the widow in The Taming of the Shrew. I also loved the fact that it was going to be all female cast and I that I would get to work with Tara again.
How does this production compare to other projects you have performed in or worked for?
For the past 4 years I have mainly been performing in solo shows so it’s great to be part of a company.
Ann Juries
as Grumio
Photo credit: Jesse Kramer.
Tell us a little bit about your character. What can audiences expect from him?
Grumio is the truth-teller. While he is a funny character and perceived to be a jester by the other characters, he is wise and insightful. In the play he is a lonely servant to Petruchio, but he uses his position to communicate directly with the audience. He provides foreshadowing and warnings to the audience from his very first scene, so the audience is like his lifeline, his confidant. He is beaten and belittled throughout, but still makes light of situations. He dances and serves his master diligently – but don’t be fooled by his loyalty. He is sympathetic and knows right from wrong. He freely shares his knowledge because it is all he has to give.
How have you experienced performing as part of an all-female cast?
Being part of this all-female cast has been a highlight of my career. Every day we share stories, we analyse the play and find new nuances. The support from this ensemble has been something I have never experienced before within a cast. All of us come from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, but we have so much in common. These womxn are so generous with their talents, stories and experiences. I have made lifelong friends and have learnt things about acting and life that no book or YouTube tutorial can teach.
The more I embraced what I have to offer as a storyteller and South African the more I found confidence in playing in my own dialect and really exploring the vastness of the English language.
What attracted you to doing this play?
I have read the play before and I remembered feeling very disturbed by the abuse and representation of womxn. When I heard that Tara was staging it this year, at first I was shocked that in this day and age we would be telling the story of Taming a womxn, especially with the current rape crisis and bullying that is happening in our society. But after reading her brief and that we would have the opportunity to play men, I was immediately intrigued. I think the biggest attraction was that I knew that every actor’s interpretation would inform the way the message would come through. And this was comforting: that an all-female cast was not going to perpetuate the paradigm that womxn should be silenced.
What has your experience been of working with a Shakespeare play in a South African context?
I think that performing Shakespeare in a South African context comes with its challenges: for example, the text has references to Elizabethan music and poetry which we do not relate to here and now. Also, our country is very diverse. Finding a way to incorporate the essence of SA culture, like different races, dialects and even fashions has been a beautiful process as an actor. I had days where I doubted if my interpretation of Grumio was serving the writing, but the more I embraced what I have to offer as a storyteller and South African the more I found confidence in playing in my own dialect and really exploring the vastness of the English language. The issues that Shakespeare wrote about in this play are universal and timeless … and if you can find a truthful way to tell the story, well, then no matter where it is set, you will be heard and understood.
What has been the most rewarding part of the your role for so far?
The most rewarding part for me has been the fact that I am part of such an historic event in South African theatre. We are changing the game and doing it proudly.
Kate Pinchuck
as Hortensio
Photo credit: Jesse Kramer.
Tell us a little bit about your character. What can audiences expect from him?
I’m playing Hortensio. He’s this spoilt rich kid with a lot of feelings and very bad fashion. He’s best friends with Petruchio, who is the antagonist of Kate (the shrew of the play’s title). He’s deeply in love with Bianca, Kate’s younger sister, and is constantly undertaking ridiculous schemes to try and win her heart.
How have you experienced performing as part of an all-female cast?
Performing as part of an all-female cast has been an incredible experience. The cast has made an incredibly supportive and understanding space, where knowledge and experience can be shared and exchanged. The cast members are also all hilarious, so that helps.
Playing a man meant I had to be a lot more conscious of how I walked through space, how direct and clear my gestural and physical language needed to be, and how I stood.
Could you tell us about what you have felt and/or learned in the process of playing a male character?
I think what was most interesting for me was considering how much the construction of gender influences how different individuals take up space in the world. Playing a man meant I had to be a lot more conscious of how I walked through space, how direct and clear my gestural and physical language needed to be, and how I stood. In doing that, I realised how much time I spend in my life as a woman trying to make myself smaller and avoid being in anyone’s way. We looked at the way womxn are expected to take everyone else’s comfort into consideration before their own, whereas often, in general, men are allowed to just be: to just exist as they are. So playing that was fascinating and quite liberating and now I bump into men on the pavement a lot.
How did you prepare for your role? Were there any challenges or surprises involved?
I suppose it could be considered both a challenge and a surprise that I ended up having to learn to play the ukulele, an instrument which I did not previously play. That was terrifying, but also a lot of fun. And now I have a bad uke version of Wonderwall to whip out when people ask me if I have any special skills.
What attracted you to doing this play?
The idea of an all-female team was incredibly appealing to me, as well as the potential to play a male character on stage. I’ve also never worked professionally on a Shakespeare, which was exciting. I’m also always on board for any kind of updating and re-contextualising of a canonical work.
What has been the most rewarding part of the your role for so far?
It’s great to get to be funny physically as well as verbally. I think the way in which I find my character funny or where I feel his comedy sits is often a type of physical comedy generally reserved for men, so I’m having the best time playing a character in a way that I’ve never really been able to before and rolling around and being ridiculous is incredibly satisfying. I’m covered in bruises, but it’s totally worth it.
Naledi Majola
as Tranio (left)
Photo credit: Jesse Kramer.
Tell us a little bit about your character. What can audiences expect from him?
Tranio is a super loyal friend. He embarks on a series of wild escapades and deceptions all for the sake of Lucentio: he is (mostly) motivated by his love for his friend. However, he does not do this all for nothing. He allows himself to get something out of it by revelling in the experience of being the number one guy in town for once. He is quick-witted, ambitious and loves a good time. By the end of the play, however, he begins to get a glimpse into the nightmarishness of the world around him and his complicity in that.
How did you prepare for your role? Were there any challenges or surprises involved?
I started where I always start when doing text-based work, and that is with the text itself. It demanded in-depth analysis and research into what is being said by and about my character as well as why any of that is being said in the first place. I then allowed myself to find the connections between the character and myself. I thought about life within a hierarchy and what it’s like having to oscillate between different positions of power within that hierarchy. One of the more challenging aspects for me was finding a clear delineation between the voice and physicality of Tranio and the voice and physicality of Tranio-as-Lucentio. This is something I focused (and still try to focus) on refining.
Could you comment on your interpretation of your role? How is it similar or different from what might be expected?
I think the essential aspects of the character are still reflected in my interpretation such as his intelligence and self-confidence. However, how the character reacts to certain situations may be different from what is expected due to the overall interpretation of the story on the part of the director.
Things move at a lightning pace when doing work of this scale so an actor must remain on their toes at all times.
How does this production compare to other projects you have performed in or worked for?
This is my first professional production outside of drama school and doing smaller-scale independent theatre so it is quite different from any other experience that I have had. The stakes felt very high due to the significance of the Maynardville festival. Things move at a lightning pace when doing work of this scale so an actor must remain on their toes at all times. However, the experience was also familiar in that there was still room for fun and play.
What has been the most rewarding part of the your role for so far?
I think finding the connection between myself and a character that is supposedly far away from me has been rewarding. It’s amazing being able to relate aspects of your life and personality to the character’s as it enables you to play more truthfully.
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The Taming of the Shrew will be running until 3 March at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre in Cape Town.