The Taming of the Shrew
From April to June 2012, Shakespeare’s Globe brought theatre companies from around the world to perform all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in 37 languages. The Globe to Globe season was part of the World Shakespeare Festival for the London 2012 Festival.
The Taming of the Shrew is no longer available but you can still see some of the Globe to Globe plays featured on The Space.
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
Performed in Urdu by Pakistan’s Theatre Walley
(with scene description in English)
THE COMPANY
Theatre Walley is a group of artists from Lahore in Pakistan. The group have exchanged The Taming of The Shrew’s original setting in Padua to set their production in their home city. During their time in the UK, the company performed in Oxford and Rotherham to reach Urdu speakers in those cities.
THE PLAY
Theatre Walley brings Shakespeare’s work colourfully up to date and with a modern Pakistani setting. While the beautiful Bina (Biana) has no shortage of suitors, her father decrees she cannot marry before her tempestuous sister, Qurat-el-Ain (Katherina). Bina’s admirers pay witty fortune seeker Rustam (Petruchio) to court Qurat-el-Ain. He woos, marries and sets out to tame her through any means possible, while Bina’s suitors fall over each other in their attempts to win her love.
PRINCIPAL CAST AND CREDITS
Mian Basheer (Baptista Minola): Salman Shahid
Bina (Biana): Karen David
Qurat-el-Ain (Katherina): Nadia Jamil
Rustam (Petruchio): Omair Rana
Director: Haissam Hussain
Translators: Aamna Kaul, Zaibun Pasha, Mariam Pasha
Choreographer: Osman Khalid Butt
Composer: Mekaal Hasan