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Photo by Eric Engman

While dowries and arranged weddings hardly relate to the typical modern love story, a comic tale about the complications of love remains as relevant today as when William Shakespeare’s comedy “The Taming of the Shrew” first appeared in 1623.

A comedy about the challenges of romance and the ritual of marriage is timeless, Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre production manager Claudia Lively said. It makes the upcoming local performance of the Shakespeare classic, set to begin Wednesday and run through July 26, a perfect choice for the annual summer performance.

“This is a comedy about the ritual of getting married and what happens after, and it is the process of a transformation that Shakespeare is exploring,” Lively said of the play, which pins two unlikely lovers together amidst a chaotic fiasco of other less successful attempts at romance.

While the story is one that has been seen before in varied forms, perhaps the most modern mainstream adaptation was the film “10 Things I Hate About You.” The Fairbanks show offers local flavor that includes a unique location — an original stage at Jack Townshend Point — locally handmade costumes and, of course, a unique cast.

Anne Thibault, playing Kate the Shrew, brings her talents from New York City, boasting a “tremendous amount of professional experience,” Lively said. Thibault is not a newcomer to Fairbanks theater, having conducted a one-woman show last winter entitled “I Wrote This Play to Make You Love Me.”

Jeremy Thompson will play Kate’s unlikely suitor Petruchio. A professional actor from Tuscon, Ariz., Thompson has a long list of credentials related to theater and Shakepearean work, Lively said. Much of the remainder of the cast, which includes such local stage talents as Hadassah Nelson (Bianca), JK Bowne (Hortensio), Willis Fireball (Grumio), and Andy Greeley (Lucentio) are also likely to steal the show. Lively noted the cast is an ensemble cast, with numerous performers tackling multiple roles.

“I auditioned initially for the role of Bianca, but I got an ensemble role instead, and it is really fun,” said Sara Olsen.

Olsen will be a hat maker, a servant, and some other people in the town of Wincot. She said the play is a lot of fun, and her role has been as fun as it has been dynamic.

“I get to get beat up, and sing, and all kinds of fun stuff. There are a lot of fun parts,” Olsen said, adding this first experience with Shakespeare Theater has sparked an interest to do more in the future.

Lively said the talent on stage will not be the only impressive element of the show. Handiwork from local crafts persons Renate Lively and Theresa Reed help create time-accurate costumes featuring styles of the early 1600s. The pieces are “very sumptuous,” Lively said, and add to the atmosphere of the performance.

“We keep things as close as possible to the true European style of the period. We don’t use any zippers or velcro or other modern elements,” Renate Lively said of her work. “ We use a lot of silks, velvets, broad cloths and natural-looking fibers.”

Claudia Lively also noted the set, designed by John Mayer, is among the most beautiful she’s seen.

“It looks like a set that would have been used at the Globe Theater (where Shakespeare is famously performed in London). It is so unique and outstanding,” Lively said.

The story itself is one that reflects innovative thinking, Lively remarked, something Shakespeare garnered a reputation for. Even in his comedies, such as “The Taming of the Shrew,” he was challenging traditions and conventional thinking.

“That is why Shakespeare is seen as the starter of modern thinking. He was changing the way people looked at daily life, marriage and often the interaction between royalty and other (social) classes,” she said, noting for this reason the story is sure to entertain modern audiences in Fairbanks as much as it did Europeans in the 1600s.

The local show will open with a preview performance at 7:30 p.m. July 2 at Jack Townshend Point. At that show, a donation of two canned food items will reduce the $18 admission price by half.