Valleri Robinson is Head of The Theatre Department and Associate Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We approached her after the performance “The Taming of the Shrew” and asked for her comment.

I was really interested in the whole circus theme and the approach to the notion of the lion tamer and how the circus elements were drawn into that and played out for that. That was an interesting concept that they played with. That was something I found really stimulating about it. It was interesting how they were using a lot of physical movement and those sorts of things to forward the story.

I know the play well enough and that’s why it was easy to follow and I had a lot of fun with it. The comedy was rich, and I could tell the audience was really engaged, and it was exciting to see that. I’m super excited for the rest of the festival.