U. of I. graduate student Anson Woodin (Fred/Petruchio) is on the set April 19 during a rehearsal of “Kiss Me Kate” in the Tryon Festival Theatre at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The Lyric Theatre at Illinois production premieres at 7:30 p.m. April 21, with other performances scheduled at 7:30 p.m. April 22 and 23, and at 3 p.m. April 24.
Presented as a play-within-a play, “Kiss Me Kate” is based on Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” This contemporary version reflects current Hollywood glamour as it is set in the Hamptons in the present day.
Students and faculty members from the department of theatre have contributed greatly to the production. It also includes an onstage orchestra of more than 65 students who comprise the U. of I. Philharmonia (with majors from instrumental music to aerospace engineering to creative writing). Six dancers from Dance at Illinois and a multifaceted cast of students majoring in everything from voice and acting to nutrition science round out the on-stage performers.
A unique feature of the production is the set, which incorporates a massive amount of LED technology in the form of large panels built by graduate students Michael Shoaf, lighting designer, and José Manuel Diaz-Soto, scenic designer. It seems appropriate the production is at the U. of I. since Nick Holonyak Jr., a U. of I. alumnus and the John Bardeen Endowed Chair Emeritus in the U. of I. department of electrical and computer engineering, invented the first visible-light LED in 1962 while working at General Electric. Tickets are still available through the Krannert Center ticket office.
