As the sun set over Greenfield Lake,
children and adults filed into Greenfield Lake Amphitheater for the opening night of Cape Fear Shakespeare Youth Company’s production of “The Taming of the Shrew” Friday, May 29. Violin music played from the speakers as attendees enjoyed picnic dinners. Children in tights and solid-colored vests and shawls — attire inspired by the Elizabethan era — pranced down the aisles asking audience members to support their show with contributions.
“We basically work off donations,” said Cherri McKay, the company’s director. “You don’t have to put anything in our donation bucket. It’s always going to be free.”
After McKay welcomed audience members, she let her actors take the stage for what she called a Three Stooges-style comedy.
Chloe Mason, who played Katherina, said after the show she was pleased with the energy of opening night.
“I was happy with it. It was a good energy,” she said.
The 15-year-old actress had never read “The Taming of the Shrew” before auditioning for a role. “I didn’t know much about it before I tried out,” she said.
Mason credits McKay with teaching her and the rest of the cast about the play and for helping them with the Shakespearean dialect.
“She made sure we knew what we were saying and what it was about,” she said.
Mason’s favorite scene took place toward the beginning of the play, when Katherina and Petruchio meet each other for the first time.
“It’s a long scene — Act II Scene I,” Mason explained. “It’s a good introduction to Katherina and Petruchio’s characters.”
While Mason said she is calm and gentle-natured, Katherina is an ill-tempered young woman who does not want to get married. She engages in shouting matches with her calm younger sister, Bianca, and in physical fights with her suitor, Petruchio.
Mason said one of the challenges of the show was learning to run across the stage in a floor-length Elizabethan gown.
“It gets a little hot,” Mason said. “It’s kind of hard to move my arms in the big, puffy sleeves.”
However, Mason enjoys the black-and-red gown’s aesthetic.
“It’s my favorite of the dresses I tried on. The colors suit Katherina’s character,” she said.
Mason also said she enjoyed establishing relationships with the other actors, who range in age from second to twelfth grade.
“They all care about each other,” she said. “I really made lasting relationships with the other cast members. I hope to do Shakespeare on the Green next year.”
McKay said she was impressed by Mason’s acting abilities.
“She’s just got a sense of emotion. … She’s a joy to work with,” McKay said.
Mason’s co-star, 18-year-old Jackson Cole, who played Petruchio, said opening night was a success.
“Honestly, it was pretty good,” he said.
“The Taming of the Shrew” was Cole’s first production with Cape Fear Shakespeare Youth Company. It was also his first performance in a Shakespearean play.
“It was fairly difficult, but it was very engaging,” he said. “It’s poetic. It’s challenging deciphering each line.”
One of Cole’s favorite scenes from the show was Petruchio’s aside to the audience, when Petruchio is thinking aloud about Katherina.
“It’s a wonderful part of the play. … It’s beautiful. You can see how well the characters clash and how they complement each other,” he said.
Cole will also be performing in Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green’s “All’s Well that Ends Well” that debuts Friday, June 5.
“I am the servant to the countess, the first soldier and a lord,” he said.
Cole said he is eager to work with older cast members.
“Working with adults, I get a more mature atmosphere,” he said.
In the fall, Cole will head west to study literature at the University of North Carolina Asheville, but he said “All’s Well that Ends Well” won’t be his last production with Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green.
“I hope to come back and do some more,” he said.
Although the clear skies on Friday were ideal, McKay said future shows will go on even in the rain.
“It’s very rare that we get rained out,” she said. “We tell our audience members, ‘Come out anyway. Don’t let the weather hold you back.’”
Since the stage is covered, only the edges of the stage get wet during the rain. McKay suggests audience members bring rain jackets and umbrellas. Shows will only be canceled during severe weather.
“Mother Nature is our boss. … She decides if we’re going to do a show or not,” she said.
Performances of “All’s Well that Ends Well” will take place in Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday June 5-28 at 8 p.m. For more information, call 910-399-2878 or email
[email protected]
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