Since its conception under the patronage of Dame Judi Dench in 2000, CAST, or the Cambridge American Stage Tour, have journeyed across the Atlantic each year to instil Shakespeare into the hearts of all Americans. Before they return for their home run at the ADC theatre from the 6th of October, the Tour’s annual pilgrimage will take them across America, including stints in Florida and Tennessee through to Pennsylvania and Rhode Island’s Brown University. Tour Managers Laura Sedgwick & Alex Cartlidge sit down with director Kennedy Bloomer and actors Marco Young [Gremio/Vincentio], Robbie Taylor Hunt [Hortensio], Will Peck [Grumio] & Julia Kass [Bianca], to discuss the controversial nature of their chosen play, & the cultural differences that they will be faced with.

Laura: What elements of the tour are you most excited for?

Will: It will be exciting just to be visiting such a wide range of states, not only because it will be a great chance to see plenty of the East Coast, but because it will be interesting to see how different audiences react differently to the play. Highlights will hopefully include a visit to New York and performances at Brown University.

Julia: We are staying with host families in quite a few of the venues so we’re all excited to meet lots of people and enjoy the cultural differences. If we can get just a few of the students we perform to to enjoy and understand Shakespeare more than they did before, we will be pleased.

Robbie: And of course we are all excited for the American food!

Laura: What challenges do you think there will be in performing Shakespeare to an American audience?

Kennedy: We are not entirely sure what to expect to be honest. Last year’s tour said some of the students had never seen a Shakespeare play performed before so there will probably be quite a variation in people’s previous experience of Shakespeare, let alone age and academic variation. It is hard enough to get a Cambridge audience to understand all of the Shakespearean language, puns, jokes, and subplots. We’ve been working with lots of ways in which we can hopefully make it as accessible as possible, including planning education workshops that explore the trickier parts of the play. We’re also taking the time to really focus on posture and diction, since a lot can be conveyed with gestures and facial expression. Our idea is to focus on the farcical, over-the-top nature of the play, so hopefully that will aid the audience’s understanding as emotions and events will be exaggerated.

Laura: How is it different rehearsing for a tour compared to rehearsing a normal Cambridge show?

Robbie: We are in the theatre all day, every day. This means that we’re getting a lot done but does mean that it feels a little claustrophobic and it can be hard to balance rehearsal time with down time.

Marco: On the other hand rehearsing outside of term time means that we don’t have the guilt of degrees hanging over us. We are also living and eating all together which means getting to know everyone on a much more day-to-day basis, unlike a normal show.

Laura: Who is your favourite character?

Kennedy: Of course Katherina (the "shrew") is a fantastic, strong, complex character.

Robbie: But we like Hortensio and Grumio - Hortensio because he is so annoying and whiney that he becomes almost likeable.

Marco: Grumio because he has some great comic lines but also ends up being manipulated and manipulative by the end.

Will: Troilus the spaniel is also a firm cast favourite.

Laura: Tell me why The Taming of the Shrew is still a good play to perform today.

Kennedy: The Taming of the Shrew notoriously deals with issues of gender and misogyny that continue to resonate today. Yet as well as exploring these issues we also want to reclaim the comedy and theatricality of the play. It is packed with jokes, euphemisms, tantrums, fights, and people fancying each other. Another of its benefits is its ambiguity - people have written at great length about what the play means and how to play it in today’s world. This means that every version can be different and people can choose what to take from the play, either in performance or in the workshops. Of course our version may not convey all the things The Taming of the Shrew can convey to all people, but we hope that we are able to bring out the comedy and the characters to create a fun and accessible show. If audiences are also able to understand and think about the darker or trickier themes of the play, we will be delighted.

Previews of 'The Taming of the Shrew' are being performed at the ADC theatre [26th August, 7.45pm] & Ely Cathedral [27th August, 7.30pm].