When King’s Fork High School’s drama club performs “The Taming of the Shrew,” audience members will experience the play as Shakespeare intended, Jennifer Miguel says.

About 40 audience members will sit right on the stage with the actors, even having the chance to help bring the performance to life, according to the drama teacher.

“Shakespeare believed that the audience was just as important to the play, and he wrote lines to be played by the audience and really tried to involve them,” Miguel said.

Actors will also sit in the audience, further blurring the line.

A cast of 24 members of the school’s drama club is involved in the show, with an additional eight crew.

Performances in the school auditorium will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 2:30 and 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets will sell for $5 at the door.

“It’s my favorite comedy, and I wanted to do it,” Miguel said. “I thought I had the right cast this year.”

Students have been rehearsing every day after school since the end of March. Gabbi Martin, a junior playing Katherina — the shrew — said she thinks she has the performance “down pat.”

“I love playing her, because I get to be shrewish,” Martin said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Zach Balint, a freshman playing Petruchio, said he decided to give drama club a try after seeing his older sister perform in high school productions.

“This is my first year doing anything,” he said. “I was in ‘Dracula’ at the beginning of the year, too.”

Being “extremely egotistical,” the character of Katherina’s suitor suits him, Balint said.

“I’m actually a lot like the character I’m playing, so that helps,” he said.

For senior Alex Farmer, “The Taming of the Shrew” is a last hurrah. “All the other shows I felt anticipation, too, but this is the last one for me, so it’s huge,” he said.

Farmer plays Hortensio, suitor of the much-sought-after Bianca, Katherina’s sister.

He said he has enjoyed the “complete randomness” of high school drama.

“Every day it’s a different thing,” he said. “The only thing that stays the same is the name. It’s crazy-awesome.”

Audience members who don’t arrive in time for stage seats will be accommodated in the usual auditorium seats, Miguel said.