Post-Show Discussion Activity

Use these questions to reflect, discuss, or journal about your experience of and reactions to The Taming of the Shrew! Explore any of the questions that interest you.

If engaging in this activity independently, consider taking notes or writing your reflections down. If engaging in this activity with a class or group, decide if you would like to answer every question in order, skip around, or select certain questions to spend time on. 

Discussion Questions

1. Court’s adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew features an immersive experience as a framing device, within which the play takes place. Think about other immersive experiences that people enjoy. Consider, for example, a haunted house versus a scary movie, or LARPing (Live Action Role Playing) versus a video game. What about immersive experiences makes them enjoyable? Why do we seek this kind of escapism? When is it helpful versus harmful? 
2. How do power dynamics exist in this play? Where does control change hands—or does it? 
3. How does this production explore ideas around viewership, voyeurism, and immersive theatre?
4. Juxtaposition is a device in which two opposing concepts or ideas (such as characters, ideas, or objects) are placed together to highlight their contrast and create a particular effect. What elements of The Taming of the Shrew explore juxtaposition? Within this adaptation, particularly, where is the juxtaposition deepened? What is the effect of all of this contrast? 
5. How does the set design reflect the wildness of Katherina’s character and Petruchio’s attempt to “tame” her? 
6. The Taming of the Shrew is generally considered to be deeply problematic for its treatment of women. In what ways does watching this play in 2025 offer new meaning to old sexism? 
7. In what ways does Shrew explore class differences? 
8. How do the references to hunting speak to the male characters’ views of women? 
9. When making sense of this adaptation’s framing device, what story do you tell about the five people entering the immersive experience? Who are they, and why have they come here?

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• This activity aligns with the following standards:
  • Illinois Arts Learning Standards 
    • Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
    • Anchor Standard 8: Construct meaningful interpretations of artistic work.
    • Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding.
  • Common Core State Standards 
    • CCSS.ELA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
    • CCSS.ELA.RL.3  Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. 

Posted on November 18, 2025 in Learning Guides, Productions