a student of the human condition (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} arcane) wrote,@ 2006-11-13 18:25:00 |
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Theatrical News
I realize that I mostly talk about the theatre and my experiences in it here, but I guess that's what happens when your life is wholly consumed by something. I'm not sure how I feel about that, knowing that something consumes my life so absolutely but there it is. I'm not apologetic about it nor do I have any shame in it. There is a thin line between love and obsession.
With that being said, I write to announce that I've been cast in a professional production of Titus Andronicus with brand new Balagan Theatre. I will be playing Marcus, Titus' brother and the sole voice of reason in an otherwise quite violent and brutal play. He's also only one of two principal characters to survive the events of the play. It's a great part with a goodly number of nice speeches and I'm very excited at the opportunity to play him.
Director Beth Peterson sets the play in the early American West - a time in our own country's recent history that was as ruthlessly violent as the world of Shakespeare's bloodiest play. (By S. Clarke Hulse's count, Titus Andronicus is a play with "14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3, depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity and 1 of cannibalism--an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines.")
Beth explains, "We can learn from the great artists before us in regards to dramatic structure, but also in regards to the human condition. The themes we see reiterated that are universal only serve to remind us how similar human behavior is through out history. There is a celebration of humanity present when we identify with characters that were written centuries before us.
"Similar to the Romans Conquerors on which the story of Titus is originally based, a people who are a product of a country at war, the people of the Old West are hardened by the atrocities they witness on a daily basis. There is a sense of entitlement that allows them to dehumanize others, feeding the feeling that they have the right and privilege to take what belongs to others for their own political and financial gain... Violence Begets Violence, and I feel the need to create a world where the characters from Titus are compelled to commit heinous acts as easily as if they were killing a fly.
"This is what makes classical theatre relevant to today, its ability to comment of the roots of human behavior, and in doing so, the ability to demonstrate how important the lessons learned are to a contemporary world."
Titus Andronicus will play Jan. 18th - Feb. 3rd, Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm at the Capitol Hill Arts Center, Lower Level (1621 12th Ave, Seattle, http://www.capitolhillarts.com for directions). Tickets are $9-12 in advance through http://www.brownpapertickets.com (800-838-3006) or $10-15 at the door (Balagan Theatre Season Passes also available at the door). No reserved seating, no late seating. Email info@balagantheatre.org or call 206-718-3245 for more information.
I realize that I mostly talk about the theatre and my experiences in it here, but I guess that's what happens when your life is wholly consumed by something. I'm not sure how I feel about that, knowing that something consumes my life so absolutely but there it is. I'm not apologetic about it nor do I have any shame in it. There is a thin line between love and obsession.
With that being said, I write to announce that I've been cast in a professional production of Titus Andronicus with brand new Balagan Theatre. I will be playing Marcus, Titus' brother and the sole voice of reason in an otherwise quite violent and brutal play. He's also only one of two principal characters to survive the events of the play. It's a great part with a goodly number of nice speeches and I'm very excited at the opportunity to play him.
Director Beth Peterson sets the play in the early American West - a time in our own country's recent history that was as ruthlessly violent as the world of Shakespeare's bloodiest play. (By S. Clarke Hulse's count, Titus Andronicus is a play with "14 killings, 9 of them on stage, 6 severed members, 1 rape (or 2 or 3, depending on how you count), 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity and 1 of cannibalism--an average of 5.2 atrocities per act, or one for every 97 lines.")
Beth explains, "We can learn from the great artists before us in regards to dramatic structure, but also in regards to the human condition. The themes we see reiterated that are universal only serve to remind us how similar human behavior is through out history. There is a celebration of humanity present when we identify with characters that were written centuries before us.
"Similar to the Romans Conquerors on which the story of Titus is originally based, a people who are a product of a country at war, the people of the Old West are hardened by the atrocities they witness on a daily basis. There is a sense of entitlement that allows them to dehumanize others, feeding the feeling that they have the right and privilege to take what belongs to others for their own political and financial gain... Violence Begets Violence, and I feel the need to create a world where the characters from Titus are compelled to commit heinous acts as easily as if they were killing a fly.
"This is what makes classical theatre relevant to today, its ability to comment of the roots of human behavior, and in doing so, the ability to demonstrate how important the lessons learned are to a contemporary world."
Titus Andronicus will play Jan. 18th - Feb. 3rd, Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm at the Capitol Hill Arts Center, Lower Level (1621 12th Ave, Seattle, http://www.capitolhillarts.com for directions). Tickets are $9-12 in advance through http://www.brownpapertickets.com (800-838-3006) or $10-15 at the door (Balagan Theatre Season Passes also available at the door). No reserved seating, no late seating. Email info@balagantheatre.org or call 206-718-3245 for more information.
