TNT BRITAIN One of the world’s foremost touring companies presents William Shakespeare’s

Performed in English with Chinese Subtitles!

<Guangzhou>
Dtae: 7:30PM, 7, 8, 29, 30, 31 October 2008
Venue: Small Hall of Xinghai Concert Hall, Guangzhou
Price: RMB 300, 200, 100
Ticket hotline (with 10% off discount): 020 87049976, 87353869
Please note that the 10% off discount is offered for British Council members with discount code “BC+user name” and contact number.

<Shanghai>
Date: 7:30PM, 10, 11, 12 October, 2008
Venue: Shanghai Lyceum Theatre
Price: RMB 380, 280, 180, 120, 80
Ticket hotline: 021 62565544, 62564738, 62172426, 962388

<Beijing>
Dates: 7:30PM, 16 (Thurs), 17 (Fri), 18 (Sat) October 2008
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts
Prcie：RMB 480, 380, 280, 180, 120, 80
Ticket hotline (with 5% discount): 010 65516930, 65516906, 66550000

Director/Editor:  Paul Stebbings
Live music composer:  John Kenny
Producer:  Grantly Marshall
Presented by Milky Way Arts & Communications Co. Ltd                                                                                                                

This is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and popular comedies. The story follows the fortunes of the beastly Petruchio as he attempts to tame the wild beauty of Kate and claim not just her hand in marriage but a slice of her foolish father’s gold. Meanwhile Kate’s young sister is chased by a string of would–be husbands who will resort to any trick, or adopt any disguise, to claim their pretty prize.

TNT’s production is fast moving, musical and very funny. Commedia dell’arte, Elithabethan music and visual imagery inspired by Renaissance Italian art combine with knock about comedy and a ferocious battle of the sexes to create a truly memorable performance. As in Shakespeare’s own day, live music will accompany the production, arranged by noted Scottish composer John Kenny. A five part sung score will be complimented by harpsichord, clarinet and percussion.

TNT Theatre has been touring Shakespeare’s major works to a worldwide audience for over six years, all directed by Paul Stebbings. Previous productions include MACBETH, HAMLET, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, ROMEO & JULIET and KING LEAR.

Director’s notes.

What is  this play about and why do we care? On the surface THE TAMING OF THE SHREW seems to be a straightforward comedy about men and women, well observed but hardly contemporary in its conclusions. Kate’s passion, energy and independence have thrilled audiences and actresses for centuries, but her cruel humiliations and abject  surrender have puzzled and even angered in equal measure.

Most modern productions try to undercut or even reverse the sexism and mysogeny that runs through the piece. This seems to us to be a mistake. The play is what it is, it expresses an idea of  a society  where men and women are not equal, and where order is achieved through hierarchy. Our aim has been to show what happens when that sort of society exists, to play the mysogyny and cruel comedy to the hilt.

Cast

PAUL STEBBINGS is artistic director of TNT theatre Britain and The American Drama Group Europe. He was born in Nottingham and studied drama at Bristol University, where he received first class honours. He trained in the Grotowski method with TRIPLE ACTION THEATRE in Britain and Poland. Paul founded TNT theatre in 1980 and received regular Arts Council funding for work in the UK. Paul has also acted for NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE and TNT and directed and written for the PARAGON ENSEMBLE Glasgow, TAMS THEATER Munich, the ST PETERSBURG STATE COMEDY THEATRE, the Athens Concert Hall MEGARON and the Russian TEATR EXPERIMENTA. His productions have toured to over thirty countries worldwide .

He was the first western actor to play Stalin in Russia. Festival appearances include  WIZARD OF JAZZ at the Munich Biennale (critics prize), the Off Broadway Festival in New York and the Tokyo International Festival, the Tehran Festival (First   prize) and recent award winning performances at the Edinburgh Festival (THE MURDER OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, in which he played the title role). His numerous productions for ADGE and TNT include the double award winning HAMLET, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S  NEST, BRAVE NEW WORLD, THE CRUCIBLE, A  STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE and many of his own scripts such as: GLASNOST HARLEQUIN, CABARET FAUST, HITLER KILLED MY CANARY and THE CHARLIE CHAPLIN PUTSCH. One of Paul’s main areas of interest is the integration of music and theatre which culminated in a production of MOBY DICK.  In addition to THE TAMING OF THE SHREW  this season sees the revivals of his  MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, HAROLD AND MAUDE – a new version of the American black comedy,  Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL (in Spanish and English) , Oscar Wilde’s CANTERVILLE GHOST and MACBETH as well as new productions of Bradbury’s FARENHEIT 451 and a project on Britain’s colonial experience.

JOHN KENNY was born in 1957 in Birmingham. Internationally recognised for his interpretation of contemporary music, he also performs jazz and early music. As a composer, he is particularly active in collaborations with dance and theatre, and this love of theatre is often an important feature of his recital output. His past commissions have included the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the International Trombone Association, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Edinburgh Contemporary Arts Trust, Chamber Group of Scotland, Dance Umbrella, American Drama Group Europe, The New Haven International Festival of Arts and Ideas (USA) and the Festival d’ Angers, France.

Commissions in 2005 included a sonata for contra-bass trombone for the American virtuoso David Bobroff, premiered at the Glasgow Brass explosion Festival;  HeadSpace for trumpet, trombone, sound designer, and the new Head=Space device for quadriplegic musician Clarence Adoo, designed by Rolf Gehlhaar, premiered at the  St. Magnus Festival in June. In autumn 2005, Kenny collaborated with Welsh Artist Sean Harris to create an animated film, Hela’r Twyrch Trwyth and and recorded a  CD of music and poetry, with the American poet Grantly Marshall. In December Kenny acted as narrator in the premier of hisown dramatic setting of the Book of Revelation in modern German translation, “Das A und Das O” for trombone, organ, and actor for the Landshut Festival, Germany, premiered in December. Projects for 2006 include a cantata for solo trombone and choir for Vokal Nord, Norway, music for The American Drama Group of Europe’s new production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew, and the release of a CD album in collaboration with the American poet Grantly Marshall. In 1984 he was a founder member of the TNT Music Theatre Company, collaborating with playwright Paul Stebbings in productions which continue to tour hundreds of venues throughout Europe, Russia and Japan, and Korea. (Including the recent MOON PALACE).In 1993 John Kenny was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, and is currently a professor at both the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he specialises in the interpretation of contemporary music and The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where he concentrates on sackbut and the interpretation of early music.  In 1992 John Kenny was invited to join a team of specialists at the National Museum of Scotland committed to reconstruct the Deskford Carnyx. Discovered in Northeast Scotland, this is the finest example so far discovered of an Iron Age Celtic war horn which was the most splendid and powerful wind instrument of the ancient world. In 1993 he became the first person to play the carnyx for 2000 years, and has since lectured and performed on the instrument internationally, in the concert hall, and on radio, television, and film. There are now numerous compositions for the carnyx, and it features on seven CD’s, and on March 15 2003 he performed solo to an audience of 65000 in the Stade De France, Paris. John Kenny lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two sons.

NATALIA CAMPBELL. Though Natalia was born in London, she has a European Heritage as her parents are Greek, Dutch & Scottish! She trained at Middlesex University & Lee Strasburg Studio. She has worked in a wide variety of theatre: comedy, new writing, musical, multi media and dance. Theatre includes THE FORTUNE CLUB, THE WIND & THE WASH TUB, PALACE OF FEAR & BOLLYWOOD JANE( Leicester Haymarket), ALI BABA & THE JUNGLE BOOK ( Muscat Festival, Oman) TAJ ( Big Picture Company), STARFISH  ( Theatremongers), HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME & ARABIAN NIGHTS ( OTTC) TEN TINY FINGERS, NINE TINY TOES (Firefly Productions) TANGO ARGUMENTINO (The Flying Gorillas) She has dabbled in TV too including: EASTENDERS, CASUALTY, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, GMTV, SKY and TALKBACK. Natalia makes her first appearance with TNT and is over the moon to be in this production

JOANNA HEAP was born and raised in Cardiff, South Wales.  She moved to London to study English Literature at University College, after which she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts on the postgraduate course.  Since graduating Joanna has appeared in THE CANTERVILLE GHOST at The Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke, as Jane Bennet in a national tour of PRIDE & PREJUDICE, in DRACULA & THE VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER, a devised piece at the Arcola Theatre in London and in MIKEY THE PIKEY, a new musical, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  Her screen experience includes HOLLYOAKS, DEAD SPACE and VENGEANCE BY PROXY.  Joanna is delighted to be performing in her first professional Shakepeare producation and to have the opportunity to see the world at the same time.