From Theory to Action: Staging a Feminist Production of 'The Taming of the Shrew'

This article advocates for scholarship-informed theatre practice, demonstrating how feminist criticism of The Taming of the Shrew shaped and informed a production of the play staged on the London Fringe in 2017. With reference to the production’s editing, casting, and staging choices, the article foregrounds how scholarship supported the process of textual interpretation and feminist elucidation of the play’s taming plot in performance. Highlighting the opportunity provided by Shakespeare’s plays for ‘covert activism’, this article suggests that bringing feminist scholarship into conversation with Brechtian performance methods can radicalise Shakespeare-in-action and contribute to a wider social justice agenda.