From January to April, the Utah Shakespearean Festival will tour a Wild West production ofWilliam Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” The Shakespeare-in-the-Schools tour will spend 12 weeks on the road visiting schools and community centers across Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and Idaho with a total of 50 performances that will be seen by more than 30,000 students and community members. For a complete tour schedule call 435-586-7880 or visit www.bard.org/tour.

“I am eager for this production of ‘Shrew’ because I believe that the Old West setting will give this play particular relevance for the students,” said Festival Education Director Michael Bahr. “The story fits so well within this time period.”

Audiences that see this production will be presented with a representation of the untamed Old West. Director Jan Shelton Hunsaker says this will be a fast-paced production that will be colorful and larger than life. The vaudevillesque production will feature shootouts, chase scenes, and old-fashioned melodrama.

“I think kids will identify with the Wild West theme because they are at a time in their lives when they are discovering who they are and breaking through personal frontiers,” said Hunsaker. “They will be connected to it because it is fast-paced, non-stop fun.”

During her work as a drama teacher over the past 20 years, Hunsaker has observed that most students tune-out when a class begins to study Shakespeare. It is her hope that this production will give students a new frame of reference for Shakespeare studies that will open the door to being educated and entertained by Shakespeare.

“For many this will be their only exposure to a professional presentation of Shakespeare,” said Hunsaker. “My hope is that this production will win over a life-long audience as the students begin to understand the incredible depth of Shakespeare.”

Hunsaker believes that “Shrew” is a good choice for junior high and high school students because it deals with a subject that is universally important for teens.

“Students are very concerned with the battle of the sexes in high school,” said Hunsaker. “All teens are making discoveries about male and female relationships at this point in their lives.”

Hunsaker also believes that the concept will appeal to students because everything in their world is fast-paced.

“The production will be a rollercoaster ride for audiences just like the Wild West movies and video games that students enjoy,” said Hunsaker. “Love is the biggest game of all, and this is a great setting for the ultimate battle of the sexes. I think it will demonstrate how far women have come.

Each year, the Festival creates a production of a Shakespeare classic to visit communities across four western states. The 10-person touring group serves as both the acting company and technical crew for each production, with seven actors, a stage manager, technical director, and company manager. The group also works with students in workshops ranging from stage combat to Shakespearean text.

“In this production of ‘Shrew’ the characters are taming the west as well as each other,” said Bahr. “Shakespeare’s story has a lot to say about the struggle of men and women as they face brave new worlds and new ideas.”

Hunsaker believes that the key message of “Shrew” is how people should treat each other, an important message for students.

Generous sponsors of the tour are the National Endowment for the Arts, Shakespeare in American Communities; the Utah State Office of Education; the D. Forrest and Gerda M. Greene Foundation; Mountain West Small Business Finance; and UBS Bank.