CST and Benito Juarez Announce ¡SHAKESPEARE EN CORTO! Performance, 3/27

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announced today a special performance of Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew at Benito Juarez Community Academy Performing Arts Center in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on Saturday, March 24 at 7 p.m. The 75-minute abridged production of Shakespeare's battle of the sexes-presented in English with projected Spanish translation and featuring a prologue by leading members of the Pilsen community-is part of CST's ongoing partnership with Benito Juarez Community Academy (BJCA).

According to press notes, with the support of The Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Shakespeare is working to realize BJCA's potential as a performing arts facility and community center for greater Pilsen. The culmination of this partnership will be the presentation of Romeo y Julieta, a bilingual adaptation of Shakespeare's tragic romance, by a cast of Chicago Shakespeare and local Pilsen actors in the BJCA auditorium in fall 2012.

Tickets are now on sale for $5-$10 and support the development of Benito Juarez Community Academy Performing Arts Center. Free tickets will be available through select Pilsen community organizations. On the night of the performance, free tickets will also be made available on a first-come, first-served basis. This CST Family production is most enjoyed by ages 10 and up. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com/Juarez.

The wildly spirited Kate and machismo-driven Petruchio scream, fight and woo their way into one another's heart in Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew, adapted and staged by Jeff Award-winning director Rachel Rockwell. Shakespeare's original verse and Elizabethan dress combine with rock-inspired music in Rockwell's production to connect audiences with the Bard's timeless battle of the sexes-resulting in a high=energy, entertaining introduction to Shakespeare. Following the performance, audience members are welcome to join the cast for a discussion in the auditorium and photo opportunities in the lobby of Benito Juarez Community Academy Performing Arts Center. The lobby will hold a student art installation crafted through the National Museum of Mexican Art's residency at the high school: a program providing BJCA teachers with curricular resources and their students with hands-on art activities led by the Museum's teaching artists.

The cast of Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew includes Ericka Ratcliff, who performs the role of strong-willed Katharina after appearing in Chicago Shakespeare's Jeff Award-winning Shakespeare "hip-hoptation" Funk It Up About Nothin' at CST, Scotland's Edinburgh Festival Fringe, London and a six-week Australian tour. Performing the role of Katharina's sparring partner, Petruchio, is Matt Mueller, whose credits include numerous productions at the Utah and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals. Five-time Jeff Award nominee Don Forston returns as Baptista after performing the role of Geppetto in Rockwell's acclaimed world premiere CST Family musical The Adventures of Pinocchio last summer. Local comedic actor Alex Goodrich returns to CST to perform the role of Tranio.

Additional actors returning to Chicago Shakespeare for Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew are Jeffrey Baumgartner as Vicentio, Jessie Fisher as Biondella, José Antonio Garcia as Curtis, Nicholas Harazin as Lucentio, Eric Leonard as Pedant, Matthew Sherbach as Hortensio and Mick Weber as Gremio. The ensemble is rounded out by Tiffany Yvonne Cox as Bianca and Terrence Mosley as Grumio.

Jeff Award-winning Chicago director Rachel Rockwell returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater to adapt and direct Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew after staging CST's world premiere family musicals The Adventures of Pinocchio and The Emperor's New Clothes. Her work as a choreographer has been seen on CST's stages in productions including The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet and Measure for Measure. In addition to regional credits throughout the country, Rockwell's Chicago-area directing and choreography credits include Jeff Award-winning productions at The Marriott Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, Noble Fools Theatricals and Drury Lane Oakbrook, where Rockwell garnered a Jeff Award for Best Director for Ragtime.

Joining Rockwell's production team for Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew are Scenic Designer Kevin Depinet, Costume Designer Jacqueline Firkins, Lighting Designer Jesse Klug, Sound Designer James Savage, Composer Kevin O'Donnell, Wig and Makeup Designer Melissa Veal, Properties Master Chelsea Meyers and Verse Coach Kevin Gudahl.

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