LAKEPORT, Calif. – “Shakespeare on the Lake” will return to Lakeport’s Library Park in July and August, and auditions and rehearsals are set to begin in May.

The fourth annual production will present “The Taming of the Shrew.”

The play is a story about a power struggle, a battle of the sexes in which an ambitious man tames his female bride to be. But, what if it were told the other way around? What if women wield the power and the men are expected to conform?

This production of “The Taming of the Shrew” will feature what producers are calling “gender switched casting.” Female actors will be auditioning for roles traditionally cast as male. Male actors will be auditioning for roles traditionally cast as female.

Auditions will be held at the Mendocino College Lake Center, 2565 Parallel Drive in Lakeport, on Thursday, May 16, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 18, at 2 p.m.

Audition materials can be found at www.LCTC.us under the “Shows and Events” tab.

Exact rehearsal times are role dependent. Rehearsals begin Tuesday, May 28, and will occur at the Lake Center, the Work Right Building at Lampson Field or at Library Park, all in Lakeport, Monday through Thursday from 6 to 9:30 p.m. and four Saturdays, to be announced.

Performances are Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Lakeport and Friday, Aug. 2, Saturday, Aug. 3, and Sunday, Aug. 4, at 6:30 p.m. in Clearlake.

Please come prepared to read and with a list of any conflicts you may have.

This is a joint production between Mendocino College Lake Center and Lake County Theatre Co., in cooperation with the city of Lakeport, the city of Clearlake, the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College.

For more information, please contact Charise Reynolds at 707-278-9628.