Shakespeare on the hill

Take the Gold Hill Theater Troupe, add some Shakespeare and some food, beverages and outdoor seating, and you have the first "Taming of the Shrew" production in Gold Hill.

"This project is unlike anything we've ever done before in Gold Hill," said co-director Perry Arnn. "This is outside. We've built the sets. It's our 'Shrew.' We've kinda got her tamed."

The opening of "Taming of the Shrew" is scheduled for Friday, and it will be across the street from the Gold Hill Hotel. The show runs at 8 p.m. throughout the weekend and the following two weekends.

Audience members can bring their own food and wine, eat at the hotel, or pay $15 for a variety of entrees they can choose from when ordering tickets from the Gold Hill Hotel.

"The doors, so to speak, actually open at 5 p.m.," said Michelle Reynolds, who is directing the play with Arnn and also plays the role of Katherine, the shrew.

The pre-show begins at 6 p.m. People can park at the hotel or at the train depot. Tickets are $24 for general seating and $33 for reserved seating, which is up close to the stage.

There is no need to bring chairs, like for the Shakespeare festival in Sand Harbor.

"There's really not a bad seat in the house," Reynolds said.

Although the troupe has been together for five years and is known for its historical one-act plays about the Comstock, it's the first time, as a troupe, it has ventured into something larger.

"Shakespeare in itself is either done wonderfully, or is a disaster," Reynolds said.

The play tells of the story of the eldest daughter, Katherine, of a Verona, Italy, gentleman who worries that his daughter's bad disposition will fend off all possible suitors.

In the meantime, his youngest daughter, Bianca, has suitors lining up for marriage. But he cannot let Bianca go until the eldest daughter has married.

"Kate is somebody who pretty much is very, very temperamental," Reynolds said. "She's very rebellious. She's very angry and very bitter at her father and people in general. She's wild, and she's an animal. It's not because she wants to be, it's because she wants to be loved."

A man by the name of Petruchio enters Verona. He is looking for a wife and proclaims that Katherine shall be his. The two are married. Petruchio takes her to his home and begins Katherine's transformation, the bulk of the play.

"Petruchio is her match," Reynolds said. "He's as shrewd as her. That's the attraction."

There are 12 roles cast for the play. The actors come from all of Northern Nevada, not just Gold Hill. Helping out in this production are actors from the Brewery Arts Center and Western Nevada Community College.

The group has rehearsed three nights a week since late June. Preparation has been under way for about a year. Some $3,000 has been spent in costumes, and the number of hours spent on the set are countless.

"I think overall it's going to be worth it," said Arnn. "I think it's going to be a good production."

n Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.