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Loved Playing Grumio in our Gender-Bending Taming of the Shrew

It was challenging to play the role of Grumio in Pepperdine’s gender-bending “Taming of the Shrew.” Grumio is a major source of humor for the audience. I really enjoyed creating the character. The play was directed by Scott Alan Smith. “The Taming of the Shrew” often faces a backlash today because of its sexist message. Many theaters have presented this play in various ways: gender-swapping, men playing all characters, completely female cast.

Scott Alan Smith decided to swap the genders in this Shakespeare classic. This version of the show differs from the original Shakespeare version, which would feature men playing both the male and female characters in the show.

George Preston played Kate, the shrew, and Christine Galyean played opposite of him as Petruchio.

“It has truly been a time of open mindedness,” Preston said. “Specifically, [this is a time] of me uncovering stereotypes of both genders and dissecting the root to find a deeper truth, rather than me ignoring the obvious stereotypes.”

Final bows “Taming of the Shrew” at Pepperdine.

Isabel Klein

Isabel Klein is an actress and writer from Portland—keepin’ it weird. She's in the Sunday Company at The Groundlings. Isabel trained at RADA in London. Her solo show, SHOWSTOPPER, sold out at the Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has performed at The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv. She holds a BFA from Pepperdine. She has more than a dozen film and video credits, including clinging to life as OD Girl #2 in On Call (Amazon Prime), and she’s also part of an upcoming project with Trey Parker and Matt Stone. An experienced stage actor, she's had lead roles in notable productions. Her commercial credits include Airheads, Dave & Buster’s, Sonic (the drive-thru, not the hedgehog), Ring, and Visa—so odds are you’ve skipped her on YouTube.