Shakespeare Entirely: the Taming of the Shrew
New York City, New York | Theatre
Drama, Comedy
How many of you have sat through a Shakespeare play lost, confused, and bored? Small Boat and kotto Productions aim to change that with their Shakespeare CSE project. The Taming of the Shrew is the debut production and proof of concept for ultimate goal: producing every Shakespeare play in full.
Shakespeare Entirely: the Taming of the Shrew
New York City, New York | Theatre
Drama, Comedy
21 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$1,455
Goal: $25,000 for production
How many of you have sat through a Shakespeare play lost, confused, and bored? Small Boat and kotto Productions aim to change that with their Shakespeare CSE project. The Taming of the Shrew is the debut production and proof of concept for ultimate goal: producing every Shakespeare play in full.
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Kate Eastman as Katherine and McLean Peterson as Bianca
Every year, a slew of Shakespeare plays come to New York City. In the Park, on Broadway, and across the boroughs, these 400-year-old plays are cut down, edited, and heavily conceptualized to try to bring these audiences something producers think is a bit easier to swallow. But why?
These plays have stood the test of time and now in the modern era many think they need 'fixing'. Small Boat +kotto Productions asks the simple question of “what if they can stand on their own legs?” Thus, the Shakespeare CSE (Clearly, Suddenly, and Entirely) project was born. At Shakespeare, CSE, we treat Shakespeare's cannon like new plays; it is as if a young William Shakespeare wrote them just for us, handed them in, perfect as they are. The Shakespeare, Entirely branch has the goal of producing every single one of Shakespeare's plays (prioritizing the first Folio) exactly one time before imploding...
..and The Taming of the Shrew is our debut production of the Shakespeare, Entirely.
Taming of the Shrew centers on two sisters, Katherine and Bianca. All of the country’s bachelors want to win Bianca’s hand, for her beauty and her family fortune, but her father won’t marry her off until Katherine, the older sister, is wed first. The “problem” is that Katherine is hardly woo’d easily. Enter Petruchio, who conspires to “tame” Katherine for his own benefit and pave the way for the other suitors to court Bianca. Petruchio, who is as clever and charming as he is cruel, does everything in his power to turn the independent Katherine into a doting wife.
McLean Peterson as Bianca and Kate Eastman as Katherine
The Taming of the Shrew is often cut down and outright changed because people are uncomfortable with its unsettling ending. Shakespeare observed the ways charisma intoxicates us and allows us to excuse monstrous behavior from those we admire or even call friend. We intend to honor his observations and will move an audience to look for the Petruchios in their own life.
So how are we going do it?
While we won't be cutting a word of Shakespeare's text, we will still use all the tools at our disposal to make this production land on a modern audience. Throughout his decade of teaching and working on Shakespearean verse, and in what is now the Shakespeare, Clearly branch, Karsten has cracked the code on why Shakespeare wrote his plays in verse. When verse is performed like music, the verse as our score, the plays support an actor's crackling emotional life while also providing a clarity in speech that allows every audience member to compellingly follow along.
Additionally, Karsten likes to assign genres of music to every project he directs, providing a tentpole lens to view the production's aesthetic. For Taming, we're going hyperpop. A seasoned creative team with a background in new play development will bring a thrilling contemporary practice to this classic play.
The Taming of the Shrew will run for 16 shows in July at LaMama's Club Theater in lower Manhattan. We have a cast of 12 actors, a design team of five people, a stage manager, a press agent, and a robust production team. Your financial support not only pays for the hard work of all of these people and secures a historic New York theater space, but it also allows us to keep our ticket prices accessible.
Welcome to Shakespeare, Entirely
Photos by Dev Bowman
Graphic Design by Alexander Passikoff
This was made without the use of AI. We are proudly human made all the way!
Congrats! You made it to the end of our story section.
As a treat, please enjoy our 'Taming Inspiration' Playlist.
And if, after reading all this, you think you might be a true believer in our mission... make sure you read about our 'Founding Completionist' Incentive!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Actor Salaries
Costs $12,000
Each actor is vital to our show. We are paying each of them 2000 dollars each to bring this show to life. You can help us.
Costumes
Costs $5,000
Between a Broadway caliber costume artist and bespoke, handmade costumes for our12 actors, this is our higher cost design element.
Performance Set Design + Build
Costs $3,000
We are transforming the Club theater into a semi-functional bar! We can't wait to show you the magic our brilliant set designer cooked up.
Lighting Design + Labor
Costs $2,000
Who cares about a show if you can't see it? The final piece of our technicolor, vibrant world, our lighting designer will make the show pop!
Printed materials
Costs $1,000
We have the very highest quality digital images for our posters and fliers; we want to ensure the printed versions match their pedigree!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Producer Team
Ben Natan, Lead Producer, Artistic Director: Ben is an actor and the artistic director of Small Boat Productions. After years of acting in New York City and regionally across the North East, Ben started Small Boat while pursuing his MBA at NYU Stern School of Business.
Karsten Otto, Director, Producer: A former ghost of the downtown theater scene, Karsten Otto is back, baby! Boo! After a decade developing new work as an actor, premiering plays such as The Mysteries, ms. estrada, and June Is The First Fall, Karsten is now the co-creator and director of Small Boat’s Shakespeare, Entirely series. Based on years of experience teaching Shakespeare with Charles Tuthill and Chukwudi Iwuji, and studying under Dakin Matthews and Simon Russell Beale, Karsten brings a deep well of craft and knowledge to his directing. He is also the founder of kotto Productions, a film and theater production company.
Arya Davachi, Producer: Arya Davachi is the founder of Dramafriend, an experiential production and cultural strategy company whose work spans Coca-Cola, Airbnb, The Athletic, and TBWA\Chiat\Day. He has produced culture-defining moments at the Super Bowl, Art Basel, and NYFW, managed multi-million dollar budgets across four continents, and built experiential practices from scratch for Fortune 500 brands. He doesn't create just to be creative. He builds work that grows brands and sets new standards.
AJ Liu, Producer: AJ Liu is an actor, stage manager, and producer. She has worked closely with Small Boat Productions in all three disciplines, most recently as co-producer of Slaughter City (ART/NY) and Dear John (HERE Arts Center). AJ is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business and has a background in consulting and cybersecurity.
Liz Haberland-Ervin, Producer: Liz Haberland-Ervin is an MBA candidate at NYU Stern specializing in Entertainment and Strategy. She is a producer focused on independent film and theatre, with experience spanning development through production. Passionate about storytelling, she is committed to uplifting BIPOC voices and bringing underrepresented perspectives to the screen through thoughtful, collaborative work.
Carolina Bowe, Producer: Carolina Bowe is an MBA candidate at NYU Stern specializing in Entertainment and Brand Management. Prior to her pivot into independent film and theater production, she worked in capital markets and investor relations at a global real estate investment trust. Carolina aspires to amplify collective imagination through storytelling and uncover new avenues for institutional support of emerging artists and apprentices.
Caroline Shriver, Producer, General Manager: Caroline Shriver is a producer, director, actor, and theatre maker. Since receiving a BFA in Dance from the Ailey/Fordham, she has created solo theatre (The Stella Show, 2023), co-founded The Village, a multidisciplinary arts incubator, directed at Edinburgh Fringe (Underbelly, 2025), and collaborated with countless NYC artists to bring their work to life. She is passionate about creative community and thrilled to be joining the Small Boat team!
Creative Team
Alexandra Haddad, Assistant Director, Fight and Intimacy Director
Olivia Vaughn Hern, Costume Designer
Amara Payton McNeil, Lighting Designer
Marissa Todd, Set Designer
Ellie Barry, Stage Manager
Publicity
Ron Lasko, Press Representative
Dev Bowman, Photographer
Cast
Juan Arturo Villar-Ojito
Kate Eastman
McLean Peterson
Langston Darby
Romeo Torres
Mario C. Brown
Will Sarratt
Jennifer Kim
Milena Makse
Uma Paranjpe
Shannon Mastel
Evan Ayer
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Kate Eastman as Katherine and McLean Peterson as Bianca
Every year, a slew of Shakespeare plays come to New York City. In the Park, on Broadway, and across the boroughs, these 400-year-old plays are cut down, edited, and heavily conceptualized to try to bring these audiences something producers think is a bit easier to swallow. But why?
These plays have stood the test of time and now in the modern era many think they need 'fixing'. Small Boat +kotto Productions asks the simple question of “what if they can stand on their own legs?” Thus, the Shakespeare CSE (Clearly, Suddenly, and Entirely) project was born. At Shakespeare, CSE, we treat Shakespeare's cannon like new plays; it is as if a young William Shakespeare wrote them just for us, handed them in, perfect as they are. The Shakespeare, Entirely branch has the goal of producing every single one of Shakespeare's plays (prioritizing the first Folio) exactly one time before imploding...
..and The Taming of the Shrew is our debut production of the Shakespeare, Entirely.
Taming of the Shrew centers on two sisters, Katherine and Bianca. All of the country’s bachelors want to win Bianca’s hand, for her beauty and her family fortune, but her father won’t marry her off until Katherine, the older sister, is wed first. The “problem” is that Katherine is hardly woo’d easily. Enter Petruchio, who conspires to “tame” Katherine for his own benefit and pave the way for the other suitors to court Bianca. Petruchio, who is as clever and charming as he is cruel, does everything in his power to turn the independent Katherine into a doting wife.
McLean Peterson as Bianca and Kate Eastman as Katherine
The Taming of the Shrew is often cut down and outright changed because people are uncomfortable with its unsettling ending. Shakespeare observed the ways charisma intoxicates us and allows us to excuse monstrous behavior from those we admire or even call friend. We intend to honor his observations and will move an audience to look for the Petruchios in their own life.
So how are we going do it?
While we won't be cutting a word of Shakespeare's text, we will still use all the tools at our disposal to make this production land on a modern audience. Throughout his decade of teaching and working on Shakespearean verse, and in what is now the Shakespeare, Clearly branch, Karsten has cracked the code on why Shakespeare wrote his plays in verse. When verse is performed like music, the verse as our score, the plays support an actor's crackling emotional life while also providing a clarity in speech that allows every audience member to compellingly follow along.
Additionally, Karsten likes to assign genres of music to every project he directs, providing a tentpole lens to view the production's aesthetic. For Taming, we're going hyperpop. A seasoned creative team with a background in new play development will bring a thrilling contemporary practice to this classic play.
The Taming of the Shrew will run for 16 shows in July at LaMama's Club Theater in lower Manhattan. We have a cast of 12 actors, a design team of five people, a stage manager, a press agent, and a robust production team. Your financial support not only pays for the hard work of all of these people and secures a historic New York theater space, but it also allows us to keep our ticket prices accessible.
Welcome to Shakespeare, Entirely
Photos by Dev Bowman
Graphic Design by Alexander Passikoff
This was made without the use of AI. We are proudly human made all the way!
Congrats! You made it to the end of our story section.
As a treat, please enjoy our 'Taming Inspiration' Playlist.
And if, after reading all this, you think you might be a true believer in our mission... make sure you read about our 'Founding Completionist' Incentive!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Actor Salaries
Costs $12,000
Each actor is vital to our show. We are paying each of them 2000 dollars each to bring this show to life. You can help us.
Costumes
Costs $5,000
Between a Broadway caliber costume artist and bespoke, handmade costumes for our12 actors, this is our higher cost design element.
Performance Set Design + Build
Costs $3,000
We are transforming the Club theater into a semi-functional bar! We can't wait to show you the magic our brilliant set designer cooked up.
Lighting Design + Labor
Costs $2,000
Who cares about a show if you can't see it? The final piece of our technicolor, vibrant world, our lighting designer will make the show pop!
Printed materials
Costs $1,000
We have the very highest quality digital images for our posters and fliers; we want to ensure the printed versions match their pedigree!
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Producer Team
Ben Natan, Lead Producer, Artistic Director: Ben is an actor and the artistic director of Small Boat Productions. After years of acting in New York City and regionally across the North East, Ben started Small Boat while pursuing his MBA at NYU Stern School of Business.
Karsten Otto, Director, Producer: A former ghost of the downtown theater scene, Karsten Otto is back, baby! Boo! After a decade developing new work as an actor, premiering plays such as The Mysteries, ms. estrada, and June Is The First Fall, Karsten is now the co-creator and director of Small Boat’s Shakespeare, Entirely series. Based on years of experience teaching Shakespeare with Charles Tuthill and Chukwudi Iwuji, and studying under Dakin Matthews and Simon Russell Beale, Karsten brings a deep well of craft and knowledge to his directing. He is also the founder of kotto Productions, a film and theater production company.
Arya Davachi, Producer: Arya Davachi is the founder of Dramafriend, an experiential production and cultural strategy company whose work spans Coca-Cola, Airbnb, The Athletic, and TBWA\Chiat\Day. He has produced culture-defining moments at the Super Bowl, Art Basel, and NYFW, managed multi-million dollar budgets across four continents, and built experiential practices from scratch for Fortune 500 brands. He doesn't create just to be creative. He builds work that grows brands and sets new standards.
AJ Liu, Producer: AJ Liu is an actor, stage manager, and producer. She has worked closely with Small Boat Productions in all three disciplines, most recently as co-producer of Slaughter City (ART/NY) and Dear John (HERE Arts Center). AJ is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business and has a background in consulting and cybersecurity.
Liz Haberland-Ervin, Producer: Liz Haberland-Ervin is an MBA candidate at NYU Stern specializing in Entertainment and Strategy. She is a producer focused on independent film and theatre, with experience spanning development through production. Passionate about storytelling, she is committed to uplifting BIPOC voices and bringing underrepresented perspectives to the screen through thoughtful, collaborative work.
Carolina Bowe, Producer: Carolina Bowe is an MBA candidate at NYU Stern specializing in Entertainment and Brand Management. Prior to her pivot into independent film and theater production, she worked in capital markets and investor relations at a global real estate investment trust. Carolina aspires to amplify collective imagination through storytelling and uncover new avenues for institutional support of emerging artists and apprentices.
Caroline Shriver, Producer, General Manager: Caroline Shriver is a producer, director, actor, and theatre maker. Since receiving a BFA in Dance from the Ailey/Fordham, she has created solo theatre (The Stella Show, 2023), co-founded The Village, a multidisciplinary arts incubator, directed at Edinburgh Fringe (Underbelly, 2025), and collaborated with countless NYC artists to bring their work to life. She is passionate about creative community and thrilled to be joining the Small Boat team!
Creative Team
Alexandra Haddad, Assistant Director, Fight and Intimacy Director
Olivia Vaughn Hern, Costume Designer
Amara Payton McNeil, Lighting Designer
Marissa Todd, Set Designer
Ellie Barry, Stage Manager
Publicity
Ron Lasko, Press Representative
Dev Bowman, Photographer
Cast
Juan Arturo Villar-Ojito
Kate Eastman
McLean Peterson
Langston Darby
Romeo Torres
Mario C. Brown
Will Sarratt
Jennifer Kim
Milena Makse
Uma Paranjpe
Shannon Mastel
Evan Ayer