{"id":32898,"date":"2026-09-11T17:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T21:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=32898"},"modified":"2026-09-11T17:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T21:15:18","slug":"a-large-number-of-tusculum-students-selected-for-the-cast-of-the-taming-of-the-shrew-to-be-performed-at-the-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2026\/a-large-number-of-tusculum-students-selected-for-the-cast-of-the-taming-of-the-shrew-to-be-performed-at-the-university\/","title":{"rendered":"A large number of Tusculum students selected for the cast of “The Taming of the Shrew” to be performed at the university"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 A 16-member cast, many of them Tusculum University<\/a> students, has been selected and will bring a vibrant feel to upcoming performances of \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew\u201d at the higher education institution.<\/h3>\n
\"James

James Sams successfully auditioned for a part in \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Theatre-at-Tusculum conducted auditions Sunday, Aug. 30, and Monday, Aug. 31, for the Shakespeare comedy. Tusculum students and many others in the community put their talent on display for Steve Schultz, the play\u2019s director. He is delighted with the outcome, especially with the fact half of the cast will be Tusculum students.<\/p>\n

The university now offers a theater concentration within its bachelor\u2019s degree in\u00a0communication<\/a>. Students enrolled in that program are taking Acting 1 this semester and are required to be in this production.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are spending their day in an academic environment, they\u2019re studying these lines and they\u2019re studying these characters as part of an acting class,\u201d said Schultz, who also serves as director of Tusculum Arts Outreach<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019re going to bring a fresh energy to the roles, and there\u2019s something to be said about having a bit of school spirit in a production. These students love Tusculum, and they\u2019re excited to do well for the university.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two leads in \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew\u201d will feature Tusculum students \u2013 Izzy Wilson as Katherina and JT Wolf as Petruchio. Other students in the production will be Lily Burgner as Lord, Emme Foster at Vincentio, Elise Garland as Gremio, David Hutsell as Hortensio and James Sams at Pedant.<\/p>\n

The other cast members are community members \u2013 Brittany Brooks as Bianca, Erika Carter as Tranio, Michael Fillers as Christopher Sly, Zach Gass as Baptista, Isaac Kilsteiner as Lucentio, Shae Lenoir as Hostess, Olivia Nunnelly as Page, Keegan O\u2019Laughlin as Biondello and Bo Poe as Grumio. Gass is a Tusculum alumnus.<\/p>\n

\"Steve

Steve Schultz, left, speaks with, left to right, James Sams, Emme Foster and Lily Burgner during auditions for \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew.\u201d All three landed roles.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting that there are so many people in the cast who have never performed Shakespeare and will have a magnificent experience this fall,\u201d Schultz said. \u201cOnce they perform in a Shakespeare play, they will always remember the first time they were able to participate in one. There is a reason these plays are the most popular to do. They are the most fun to perform, they\u2019re the most challenging to perform and when they are done right, the audiences love them most of all. I am confident these cast members will excel, and the audiences will thoroughly enjoy seeing the shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schultz said the first rehearsals are going to be classes, where he instructs them about Shakespeare. The lessons will touch on the language of the plays, how to perform with that language and scan the poetry.<\/p>\n

The cast is excited to embark on rehearsals and bringing \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew\u201d to life at Tusculum and is already asking questions about the scenes and characters. Schultz said he is liking the fact that the cast features many who have worked professionally in theater productions and others who have pursued much different careers.<\/p>\n

Foster is one of the cast members who is enthused.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really excited to get back on stage because it has been a while,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a little bigger role this time, so that is nice. Plus, I am happy to perform in more of a classical play. I\u2019ve done a lot of contemporary plays. I\u2019ve never done a Shakespearean play before, so that will be a new experience. And I do like a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JT

JT Wolf auditions for a part in the productions. He will be one of the leads in \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Wolf is enthused about being part of this cast because he has worked with many of the members in the cast. He also likes the character he is playing and the opportunity to be one of the leads.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the way he uses wit to not only manipulate a situation but also just to prove that he\u2019s still human as well,\u201d Wolf said. \u201cI always say there are no minor roles. This role gives me a chance to just step forward. It\u2019s a new challenge, and I can\u2019t wait to overcome it and just do my best with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilson is pleased to see a Shakespeare play at Tusculum for the first time in a while. She is also thrilled that the cast will feature mostly East Tennessee natives and said people will see some similarities between the Shakespearean language and the accent of people from Appalachia. Plus, she looks forward to shaping her role.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping to give Katherina all of the fire that she deserves because she is a very complex character,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cEven though many people see her as just angry at first, there\u2019s a lot of personality to her. I think she\u2019s a very understandable character, and I think many people will be empathetic to her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Performances of \u201cShrew\u201d will be Thursday, Dec. 3-Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m. in the Marilyn duBrisk Theatre inside Annie Hogan Byrd.\u00a0Tickets will go on sale soon.<\/p>\n

Theatre-at-Tusculum is part of\u00a0Arts Outreach\u00a0and Tusculum\u2019s\u00a0Center for the Arts\u00a0and is supported in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and many generous donors. To learn more about the Center for the Arts and Arts Outreach, please visit\u00a0https:\/\/site.tusculum.edu\/center-for-the-arts\/<\/a>. Additional information about the university is available at\u00a0www.tusculum.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 A 16-member cast, many of them Tusculum University<\/a> students, has been selected and will bring a vibrant feel to upcoming performances of \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew\u201d at the higher education institution.<\/h3>\n

Theatre-at-Tusculum conducted auditions Sunday, Aug. 30, and Monday, Aug. 31, for the Shakespeare comedy. Tusculum students and many others in the community put their talent on display for Steve Schultz, the play\u2019s director. He is delighted with the outcome, especially with the fact half of the cast will be Tusculum students.<\/p>\n

The university now offers a theater concentration within its bachelor\u2019s degree in\u00a0communication<\/a>. Students enrolled in that program are taking Acting 1 this semester and are required to be in this production.<\/p>\n

Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[131,91,7,19,142,169,146,1,6,148,147,149,172],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nA large number of Tusculum students selected for the cast of "The Taming of the Shrew" to be performed at the university :: Tusculum University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2026\/a-large-number-of-tusculum-students-selected-for-the-cast-of-the-taming-of-the-shrew-to-be-performed-at-the-university\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A large number of Tusculum students selected for the cast of "The Taming of the Shrew" to be performed at the university :: Tusculum University\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GREENEVILLE \u2013 A 16-member cast, many of them Tusculum University students, has been selected and will bring a vibrant feel to upcoming performances of \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew\u201d at the higher education institution. Theatre-at-Tusculum conducted auditions Sunday, Aug. 30, and Monday, Aug. 31, for the Shakespeare comedy. Tusculum students and many others in the community put their talent on display for Steve Schultz, the play\u2019s director. He is delighted with the outcome, especially with the fact half of the cast will be Tusculum students. The university now offers a theater concentration within its bachelor\u2019s degree in\u00a0communication. Students enrolled in that program are taking Acting 1 this semester and are required to be in this production. 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