From The Director's Chair. Dealing with Rape and Vengenace

Titus Andronicus

From The Director's Chair...

Dealing with Rape and Vengeance

It would be foolish and juvenile of me to say that directing Titus Andronicus is the same as say, directing a comedy farce or even one of the tons of eighties movies turned modern musical. Rarely do playwright's today create a text the likes of Titus Andronicus, which owes its structure not only to the slew of revenge tales of its own Elizabethan time (Syd's The Spanish Tragedy) as well as taking seeds from the classical, mythological tragedies of the Greeks. Titus stands in the company of such pays as Medea, The Bacchae, The Orestea, and of course, Oedipus Rex in its use of mythology and structure to illustrate violence and rape.

Violence and rape. Rape and vengeance. These are the thorns in modern dirctors sides when it comes to directing Titus Andronicus. One must take into consideration constantly the local of the production, the style of the production, and of course the actors appearing in the production.

As an Artist, I do not believe in safe, easy, art. Plays and film created to simply cause laughter are all well and good, though, to tell you the truth, they do nothing for me on a deeper level. Not to say there is no merit to them, but I prefer to be moved, to be challenged, and ultimately to be made to think. Titus Andronicus is a play that makes me think, and will make the audience think as well. It is not easy to digest, for a very specific reason.

Although considered a classical piece, it is utterly contemporary. Society deals with violence, sexual and non, on a day-to day basis. Whether on the battlefields engaged in war, or passing a crash on the side of the road (where even though you know you shouldn't, you look desperately anyway to see something, anything), or watching the local news, or your favorite television show (reality, comedy, or drama), the list goes on...we are a volient, sexually charged culture. And the rub is that we'd rather not be reminded of it.

A funny encounter. I was out prop shopping and in the store a woman accidentally hit her cart into the cart of another woman. Mind you, it was an accident, but in less than 5.4 seconds the fight escalated into Jerry Springer proportions. This is the age we live in. This age, where we claim to be so enlightened, and sophisticated with our gadgets and technology. Let me tell you a little secret. We are no different from the tribes that first walked the forests of the earth. We simply have better weapons.

In this production, there are a slew of weapons that will constitute ancient uses, and modern. A hodgepodge, if you will, showing the various time-blending use of them, with more modern weaponry and uses of violence appearing later in the production. The weapons used are staples, and will be easily accessible to the audience viewing them. Also, the staging of the violence upon the stage will take a similar effect. Following the first death, a religious sacrifice, happening off stage (per the script), the first actual death on stage is staged very, gulp, Shakespeare like. Traditional. In a way, the act itself is not showy or given importance (although the aftermath of the death is paramount). The next moment of violence is the crucial one, and most effective. The ravishment of Lavinia. This moment, central to the play, and especially to the character of Titus himself, will be heartbreaking, and difficult to watch. It is meant to be that way. It is meant to make us think, and reflect. Following that sequence, the violence goes off the deep end, and becomes ludicrous, preposterous as the play itself spins out of control. It is here that the audience, moved and disturbed on the violence before hand, are given their freedom and permission to enjoy violence, and to laugh. Violence, therefore, has become entertainement, ala the Real Housewives, Ren and Stimpy, and, on a darker level, the Hostel films. (even the Looney Toons cartoons have laughable violence. That poor Roadrunner.) Of course, the pendulum must and does swing back, and at the end of the play the people will not be laughing. This is specifically structured in order to move the audience on an experience. To make them think. To touch their souls. It is in the directorial style itself that the audience will find pathos. For I have changed the way the play itself ends.

I am not an advocate for violence. I fear it actually. The ending I constructed for the production I felt I needed to, in order to give a greater sense of meaning to the events that proceed it. To justify it, say, moreso than the typical Elizabethan ending that is the play's original composition.

Enough with violence, as we will soon return to the subject. Let's talk about sex, shall we? It is undeniable that we live in a culture and society obessed with sex as much as we are obesessed with violence. From nearly every magazine, to infomercial, to advertisements it is a given that sex sells. Its controversial, in my opinion, much greater than violence is. And it is with the sexual aspects of Titus Andronicus, that I have been faced with the most challenges. I think the reason is partly due to the specific local of the production itself, and in a roundabout way, the actors and actresses involved.

As a director, I have worked most of my craft on the stages in New York City. The actors and actresses I have worked with, none of them paid (Oblivion is an independent company), have a different mindset and background. The audience, as well, is very different. Not to say they are better or worse, but just that they are different. In one of the areas where this difference is apparent is in dealing with sex, well, moreso sensuality and eroticism, as an artform. For the beauty that it can be. In conservative Northeastern Pennsylvania, I know that many have not had the opportunity to experience it that way.

As of this writing, there are several productions in the area which should give people pause, and yet, it is Titus Andronicus which is causing the most stir of irrational concern and controversy, but outsiders who have really no idea what is happening in rehearsals, or what will happen on the stage. Again, I take it as a trademark of the area itself. For example, there are two companies who use younger casts, and children. One of them is producing Sweeney Tood and the other Rent.

Children and youth portraying singing cannibals and murderes in one. And in the other, they are portraying prostitues, drug users and AIDS victims. No matter how watered down these productions are (and I hope they are), it is redunculous to me that people, then, see Titus Andronicus as the potential greater evil. It makes me laugh. Over and over again.

Make no mistake. There is a great deal of sensuality in Titus Andronicus. I say sensuality because, really there is no sex. The two are very different beasts. The bold, brave cast of Titus Andronicus understand this, and I work very closely with them to create an artistic allure to the characters and events in the production. This is often times when the stylistic techniques of Artaud come into play, where we reveal the deeper, animalistic nature of the characters themselves. Even stony Titus has a sensuality about him, most notably when he is deep in his own plans of action for Revenge.

The play is composed of two tribes, the Roman and the Goth. The Romans see themselves as more advanced and not as barbarous as their counterparts. The sensuality of the costuming is reflective of this. The Romans are all in fine dresses and suits (or rather variations of suits, per age and rank), while the Goths are costumed in leather, and provocative textiles and clothes. The Goth costumes are head turners. They are gorgeous, but very provocative, illustrating their specific character mindsets and history.

It is important, I think, here, to mention a little factoid about history, and its accepance of sensuality and sex. The time period Titus Andronicus depicts, the fall of the Roman Empire, was a time of debauchery and excess. Also, sex and sensuality was celebrated. In all of its forms. Historically, it is not until the dark ages and the rise of Roman Catholic Church via one of the bloodiest and most violent wars in history (ironic, isn't it), that sex and sensuality was stamped as negative. The world of Titus Andronicus takes place before Christianity, or even Christ. Polytheism ruled the heavens, and a must different view on sex and sensuality. This production will definitely illustrate that, not excessively, but artistically and stylistically.

Which brings me to the most challenging aspect of the production, and the one that is sure to be the most controversial, the aforementioned ravishment of Lavinia. Where sex and violence collide head on. The combination of violence with sex is what sets a lot of individuals alarms of, as it should. There is nothing to be celebrated about Rape, and in Titus Andronicus, Lavinia gets raped several times. The word rape means “to seize”, and it is well before the physical event of rape, that Lavinia is well, raped. Shakespeare brilliantly brings rape into the fold early on in the play, with two warring brothers fighting verbally over the rape of Lavinia for their counterparts. It is a separate brotherly pairing that do the physical rape of Lavinia, and it is important to note that this first political rape is done by her fellow Romans, not the barbarous Goths.

Instructuring the rape of Lavinia, Shakespeare crafted bookends. Before and after moments, which not only show a physical change in Lavinia, but a mental one as well, and the character is forever tranformed for the remainder of the play. In staging there is nothing happy or celebratory in the acts themselves, nor should there be. It is, however, exciting, and the audience will be rivited but the strong, raw performances of the actors. It is important to note that not only is Lavinia raped, but she is mutilated, which Shakespeare constructed on purpose, using the myth of Philomela as template, as well, as making Laving a living, breathing representation of Roman, and its fall.

The name Lavinia comes from the wife of the founder of the Roman Empire, and the theme of bodily dismemberment is woven throughout the play to illustrate the fall of Rome itself. As Marcus so aptly makes note at the conclusion of the plays end, he wishes to assemble all broken pieces into one body of Rome, an act that, historically speaking, does not happen. There comes a point when actions are taken too far that no matter how genuine people want to fix what was wrong, there is no correction to be made. This is no more evident than in the character of Lavinia herself, who does not die during her assault, but is forced to live on, until, ultimately, she is allowed and given ceremonious permission and opportunity to escape into death.

With the above taken into account, is Titus Andronicus edgy? Yes. Is it racy? Yes. Is it Graphic? At times, yes. Is it relevant? Yes. Is it excessive? No. The notion of the directorial style is not to numb the audience watching the production, but to move them towards pathos, and make them think. To leave them with questions and a dialogue to take with them as they exit the theatre itself.

To give theatregoers who are not familiar with the work itself some hint as what to expect, there is a “For Mature Audiences” clause on all maketing materials. This is an R-Rated play, the same as King Lear is. In fact, the violence in Lear, and many other Shakespearean plays is often more graphic than Titus (hello, eye gouging “Feel your way to Dover!”) The fact is that I am producing and directing a play for adults, with an adult, mature mindset.

People have recently asked me if I see anything wrong in what I am doing, and I tell them all absolutely not. There is nothing excessive or exploitative in any second to the production people will see in a few short weeks. What they will see will be grand epic stagings, intimate personal familiar moments, and a thoroughly constructed production rooted in history and stylization. One with simply amazing performance by incredible actors and actresses.

Which brings me to one final thought. Though it may seem redundent, the men and women performing in Titus Andronicus are actors. They are playing fictional characters and the roles do not represent who they are in reality. It is important that not only do the actors themselves understand this (they may be playing a rapist, but it does not make them one) but also the audience needs to understand that as well. The actors themselves should not feel uncomfortable about what they are doing from outsiders for being in a Shakespearean play! If you take a look at the greatest roles of theatre and film you will find actors and actresses stretching themselves and doing daring, emotionally and physical things to themselves, and often going to very dark places.

As my brilliant mentor has noted several times, one must often times embrace the darkness in order to find the light. I have taken this to heart with all of my artistic endeavors, Especially Titus Andronicus.