SCREENING live from Stratford-Upon-Avon, The Royal Shakespeare Company's fantastic new production of The Taming of the Shrew will be shown at Cardigan’s Theatr Mwldan Wednesday, June 5 (7pm).

In a reimagined 1590, England is a matriarchy. Baptista Minola is seeking to sell off her son Katherine to the highest bidder. Cue an explosive battle of the sexes in this electrically charged love story.

Director Justin Audibert (Snow in Midsummer, The Jew of Malta) turns Shakespeare’s fierce, energetic comedy of gender and materialism on its head to offer a fresh perspective on its portrayal of hierarchy and power.

The usually female roles, such as Katherine and Bianca (Bianco) have now become male characters, and will be played by men, Joseph Arkley and James Cooney, while the usually male roles Petruchio (Petruchia) and Gremio (Gremia) have become female characters and are taken by women, Claire Price and Sophie Stanton.

Director Justin Audibert talks about the choices he made and where they came from. He says: "I was very inspired by the novel The Power by Naomi Alderman, where women become the dominant gender.

"At the moment, there is an important conversation about gender and power and where that lies, and whenever you make a play, you’re always influenced by what’s going on around you.

“I’m interested in seeing what happens when you get female actors to play traditionally powerful male roles, and vice versa."

Justin adds: "It’s been fascinating to see how things feel when, for example, a mother sells off her two sons, as opposed to in the traditional retelling when a father sells off his two daughters.

“We are somehow not shocked by the traditional version but when we see a mother selling her sons off that feels transgressive. I wanted to see what it would feel like when the male voice is not the dominant one."

“A landmark production as women take charge,” says the Evening Standard, while The Times writes: “Deftly provocative and exuberantly entertaining'

“Beautiful…revelatory…wonderful,” adds Whatsonstage.

Tickets for RSC: The Taming of the Shrew are £12.50 (£11.50) and are available now from Theatr Mwldan’s box office on 01239 621200, online at mwldan.co.uk or via the Mwldan app.