mysterious entity
Upcoming Season
November 2008
Taming of the Shrew
Public Performances - November 25 to 28 at 8 pm
High School Performances - November 25 to 28. Download
the brochure
Click
here to take Taming of the Shrew survay
This production of Taming of the Shrew will present challenges to contemporary artists and audiences, namely, how to rehabilitate what looks in the present day like an abusive husband-wife relationship. By expanding the framing device of the traveling players, we invite audiences to enjoy the sparkling comedy and social commentary of one of Shakespeare's liveliest works.
Synopsis of the Play
The Taming of the Shrew opens when Sly, a drunken tinker, is thrown from an alehouse. He passes out by the side of the road, and a Lord and servants come upon him. The Lord decides to play a trick on him. He takes Sly to his house, dresses him in fine clothes, and when he awakens they all pretend that he is a Lord. To help convince him, a band of traveling players enacts The Taming of the Shrew before him.
Kate Story, Director
The play portrays Katharine and Bianca, two wealthy, unmarried sisters. While Bianca has many suitors, Katharine is so bad tempered no-one will have her. Unfortunately for Bianca, her father refuses to let her marry until her older sister Katharine is wed. Bianca’s lovesick suitors convince their friend Petruchio to make a bid for Katharine; he woos her roughly, weds her, and proceeds to "tame" her by thwarting her every wish. Meanwhile, Bianca secretly weds her favorite suitor. When Katharine returns with Petruchio to her father’s house, she gives a lesson in proper wifely conduct, proving that she is indeed "tamed". Over the course of the performance, Sly has become convinced that the Lord’s page (a young man dressed as a woman to further the Lord's deception) is his wife. All ends happily in this over-the-top comedy. Or does it?
Senior High School Presentations, Engagements & Study Guide
Mysterious Entity will be presenting a series of afternoon matinees
and will give students an opportunity to engage with actors. A Study
Guide that focuses on the following three areas of study can be downloaded
from the Market Hall website. Download
the study guide...
Download
the study guide appendix...
Theatre
- Shakespeare & the history of theatre: where men played male and female roles
- Benefits of reading a play vs. performing a work
- Live performance (theatre) vs. recorded performances (film/television)
Gender & The Politics of Gender
- Discussion & exercises around historical & contemporary notions of performance related to gender: the ideal woman and the ideal man.
- Appearance and perception, how our own appearance informs others about who we are, and how we perceive other people due to their appearance.
- Kate Bornstein states, “You can do stuff that is proscribed for your birth gender: "Men can't do this; women can't do that." There have been various cultures where there have been in fact more than two genders. But usually anyone who is not a member of what the culture considers its primary genders is relegated to outlaw status. You violate the laws of nature. That makes you an outlaw.”
Linguistics
- Developments in language, cultural influences, looking at changes in meaning and form.
- Exercise: create a list of slang words, a.k.a. those that confuse parents
- Exercise: students are asked to review an opening scene of The Taming of the Shrew in which words in the scene are no longer in use. Students will translate the scene into modern English and guess the meaning of the words they are not familiar with. A version of the scene translated into modern English will be provided; students will compare this with their own translation.
- Shakespearian insults - examples and translations
March 2009
Drag Race
Join us for a celebration of diversity at the Drag Race on Sunday March 22nd at 2:00 pm. Representatives from Peterborough Pride, Rainbow Service Organization, the Peterborough Police, the Trent Queer Collective and more are coming out in drag to show their support and raise awareness of gender issues in our community. Contestants include Miss Madge Enthat, Divalicious and Staff Sargeant John Lyons to name a few. There will be a surprise guest, so don't miss out on the excitement. Opening Ceremonies will be performed by members of the Peterborough Pop Ensemble. Enjoy the cross dressing athleticism in events such as the egg-on-spoon race in heels. Prizes for best costume will be awarded, so come out in drag! Kids and families are welcome to join in the fun. See you there!
April 2009
My Gender Assignment
The main way in which I am approaching this work is to stop thinking of the idea that there are only two genders - male and female. I am working with the concept that there can be a “third” gender, or that gender could be looked at on a continuum, where a biological female may have more "masculine" traits than a biological male, or vice versa. When we place ourselves on the continuum, we may find that no one is really at the far end of the spectrum.
The initial stage for development of this project has been a "Gender Café" whereby people meet and discuss issues around gender. Stories arising out of the Gender Cafés have provided our raw materials, our core images and powerful childhood memories of encountering gender for the first time.
mysterious entity theatre has a unique approach to producing work; the final product, the production itself, is an extension of an entire networking and collaborative process. The premier performance reflects a collective ability to successfully engage, challenge, and transform individuals, communities and audiences.
Performers, Kate Story, anya gwynne, and David Bateman performed and played across gender Friday, July 4th 2008 at the Market Hall during a small, private preview presentation of this work in progress. The play continues to be workshopped in September and December 2008, with the performance scheduled for March 2009.