PCYT presents Kiss Me, Kate

From left, Rodner Salgado, Luis Lage, Alex Guzman and Marty Gallinari.

This fall, the Patel Conservatory Youth Theater (PCYT) presents Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate.

Kiss Me, Kate is a classical musical that exemplifies the American art form at its finest.

“This show is an indication of the advancement in the quality of our musical theater program,” said Ami Sallee, Patel Conservatory theater chair.

The show marks the first full-length production of a traditional musical at the Conservatory since the restructuring its theater department in July, 2011.

“Taking on a classical musical exposes the students to more challenging material, which helps them grow and develop as artists,” said Sallee.

Kiss Me, Kate is a timeless musical combining Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew with Cole Porter’s music and lyrics. The Tony ® Award-winning show is a play-within-a-play, where each cast member’s in-stage life is complicated by offstage events. Popular musical numbers include “Wunderbar,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Brush up Your Shakespeare,” “I Hate Men,” “Always True to You (In My Fashion)” and “Another Op’nin, Another Show.

The cast, primarily college and high school students, have been putting in 17 hours a week in preparation for the show.

Mario Gallinari, Lucas Coura, Johnny
Garde

“The students are getting so much more than performance experience,” said Conservatory instructor Adam Wagner, director of the show.

Training for the show includes the study of Shakespeare and the music and history of Porter, so cast members come away with deeper knowledge of the material, solid training as actors and performers, and even audition material for their repertoire.

The cast includes students and faculty from our dance, music and theater programs.

“The cross pollination of having a music program, dance program and theater program under one roof is incredibly important,” said Wagner. “Someone in musical theater needs to know how to act, dance and sing.”

The show is choreographed by dance instructor Susan Downey, with music direction by Dee Lynch and a live pit orchestra made up of advanced music students.

Kiss Me, Kate will run Nov. 8-10 and 15-17 at the Straz Center’s TECO Theater. For tickets, click here, or call 813-229-7827.