'Kiss Me, Kate' Opens Friday at Farmington High

The cast of the (FHS) spring musical, Kiss Me, Kate, includes some theater veterans and some newcomers who are all part of the school's growing theater program. 

Director Lauren Kozak has been with the program for three years and said she chose the show because she's a big Shakespeare fan. Kiss Me, Kate centers on a production of the bard's Taming of the Shrew, creating a play-within-a-play. It features Cole Porter music and lyrics, with familiar tunes like "It's Too Hot" and "Another Op'nin', Another Show". 

"I wanted to do something that didn't require a huge cast," Kozak said. "Plus, it's very funny. I knew I had the talent and character actors to pull it off."

The cast includes both freshmen first-timers and more experienced actors like Lily Talevski, a sophomore, and junior Dylan Welch, both of whom already have six years of acting under their belts. 

Talevski said she got her start with . "I love being on stage, and I love entertaining people," she said. 

She enjoys playing the dual role of actress Lilli Vanessi and Kate, from Taming of the Shrew, because the characters go through so many changes. "It's very easy to relate to someone going through those life changes," she said. 

Welch first got into theater at Power Middle School (now ). He chose the stage, rather than participating in sports, he said, because "I felt like this was a perfect match for me. It lets me be who I am, through other people." 

His characters, Fred Graham and Petruchio, are "the kind of person every guy wants to be. They're kind of jerks, both of them, but they still have sensitive sides that keep them from being monsters."

Both actors said they enjoy the show overall; Welch said he really enjoys the music. 

"We have a really wonderful cast," Talevski said. "It's very involved and intense, but everyone's always boosting everyone up." 

Kiss Me, Kate performances are slated March 23 and 24, 7:30 p.m. and March 25, 2 p.m. Tickets are $10; they are on sale after school in the FHS auditorium and will be available at the door.