Titus Andronicus
Feb. 27 - March 2, 2008 in the Thrust Theatre
***Due to adult subject matter, language, and graphic violence, we do not recommend the play for children under the age of 16
“Because I know that the audience always knows that the people onstage are actors (and not really the sons, daughters, brothers, wives they portray onstage) I take a special delight in cross gender casting and in “color-blind” casting, as it is sometimes called. For this reason, you will see many things onstage this evening that might otherwise strike you as an anomaly. Shakespeare himself is always quite self-consciously aware that we are in the act of creating theater and knows that his audience also knows this.
Titus Andronicus is compelling at this moment in our history because it addresses a culture of War, a culture we now seem to be mired in and seem, as a nation, to have embraced since the events of 9/11. It also speaks from a situation which involves the clash of radically different cultures (Roman and Goth for the play; Western (USA, European Judeo/Christian) vs. Fundamentalist Islam).
We now live in a culture in which the original source of mistrust is no longer remembered: both sides now want to redress or revenge events in recent memory (attack of 9/11; invasion of Iraq, etc.) For some decades in the 20th century, the actions of Titus (rape, mutilation and violent murder) seemed "over the top." Recently, we have seen people beheaded on television and hear repeatedly about Sharia Law meting out punishments of stoning or lopping of bodily parts; we also have radically different systems of Law (or redress) in which the reactions of one side to the actions of another seem incomprehensible to the opposed side (i.e. the trial and sentencing of a teacher who allowed her students to name a teddy bear Mohammed). Since the early to mid-nineties, rape has become a staple in the weapons of war used in Eastern Europe (Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia), in Africa (the Congo, Darfur, Rwanda and several other sites of violent civil reprisal throughout the continent) as well as in the gang wars of our own streets. It continues now in the mid-eastern Arab cultures as well.
And finally, I wanted to put this play on right now because I think we've lost the consciousness that we are in fact in a war. The economy has now replaced the war as the primary concern of voters in the current primaries and next year's federal presidential election. And no one alludes to the possibility that our current economic status might be related to the fact that we have spent nearly half a trillion dollars on this war we are no longer focused on and have never accounted for it budgetarily.
In the opening scene of the play, Titus' twenty-one sons are honored with burial because they have given their lives for Rome. Rome then proceeds to ignore the sacrifice of these lives and free the prisoners of war. Our own "free press" is not allowed to photograph even the flag-covered caskets of the returning dead. Just as the real reasons for the ten-year war against the Goths (the pillage and plunder brought home to fill Rome's coffers) are ignored within the text of the play, the fact that the US has signed contracts with international oil companies giving them 83 percent of all future oil revenues and leaving only 17 percent for the Iraqi people is never mentioned in the American press (although it does appear in the European press, further reducing the integrity of US actions in the eyes of the rest of the world).
The resonances within the play for our contemporary culture are, in my view, nearly unending. I want to produce this statement because I want to be less silent in the face of actions that make me feel helpless and that my voice is unheard.”
-- Dennis Krausnick
The Play
Titus Andronicus: a Brief Summary
Titus Andronicus, Roman general, returns from ten years of war with only four out of twenty-five sons left alive. He has captured Tamora, Queen of the Goths, her three sons, and Aaron the Moor. In obedience to Roman rituals, he sacrifices her on of her sons to his own dead sons, which earns him Tamora's unending hatred and her promise of revenge.
Tamora is made empress by the new emperor Saturninus. To get back at Titus, she schemes with her lover Aaron to have Titus's two sons framed for the murder of Bassianus, the emperor's brother. Titus's sons are beheaded. Unappeased, she urges her sons Chiron and Demetrius to rape Titus's daughter Lavinia, after which they cut off her hands and tongue so she cannot give their crime away. Finally, even Titus's last surviving son Lucius is banished from Rome; Lucius then seeks alliance with the enemy Goths in order to attack Rome. Each new misfortune hits the aged, tired Titus with heavier impact. Eventually, he begins to act oddly and everyone assumes that he is crazy.
Tamora tries to capitalize on his seeming madness by pretending to be the figure of Revenge, come to offer him justice if Titus will only convince Lucius to cease attacking Rome. Titus, having feigned his madness all along, tricks her, captures her sons, kills them, and makes a pie out of them. He feeds this pie to their mother in the final scene. A rash of killings ensue; the only people left alive are Marcus, Lucius, Young Lucius, and Aaron. Lucius has the unrepentant Aaron buried alive, and Tamora's corpse thrown to the beasts. He becomes the new emperor of Rome.
The Players
Nefertiti Burton (Marcus Andronicus) is an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies for UofL's Department of Theatre Arts. She holds an MFA in Directing from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Burton has performed and directed in local, national, and international venues including Boston, Massachusetts, New York City, Adelaide, Australia, Beijing China, and Grahamstown, South Africa. Her professional work has been acknowledged with an American Scene Award and an Audelco Award. Burton is the 2003 recipient of the UofL Presidential Exemplary Multicultural Teaching Award and was recently appointed Director of International Programs for the University of Louisville’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Sean Childress (Bassianus, Messenger, Goth), Louisville, KY, studied Acting at Boston University. Past credits at UofL include Camillo in The Winter’s Tale, Torvald in A Doll House, and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Other credits include Big Ralph the Bully Elf in Big Ralph the Bully Elf, Tracy in My Name is Tracy, Jack in Regrets Only, and Colonel Melkett in Black Comedy.
Amy Cotterill (Tamora), Louisville, KY, is a first-year MFA student in Performance. Past credits at UofL include Hannah Pitt in Angels in America, Part 1 “Millennium Approaches”, Ruth in Blithe Spirit, Toni in The Katrina Chronicles: Hurricane and Anne Braden in Champions of the Civil Rights Movement. Other credits elsewhere include Penny in You Can’t Take It with You and writer and director of The Gift and Reflections of the Past, Windows to the Future.
Elizabeth Cox (Lavinia), Louisville, KY, is a senior Marketing major with a minor in Theatre Arts. Past credits at UofL include Dakota in My Secret Language of Wishes, Madame in The Maids and Ginny in As Bees in Honey Drown. Past productions at Walden Theatre include: Bang, Bang You’re Dead, Uncle Vanya, Medea, The Monkey’s Paw, The Trojan Women, and Hamlet. Elizabeth has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York and was the 2001 winner of ESU’s Shakespeare Competition in Kentucky.
Rinda Frye (Titus Andronicus) is a faculty member in the Theatre Arts Dept. She has acted most recently at the Kentucky Center for the Arts and the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, and in a short film, Star Spangled Eyes. She was co-founder and past artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Players in Salt Lake City. She coaches voice and stage dialects at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Stage One, and Music Theatre of Louisville. Her publications include scholarly articles, a book William Poel’s Hamlets: The Director as Critic, and she is currently writing a book on stage dialects. She teaches acting, voice and stage speech, and theatre history.
Strother Gaines (Demetrius), Harlan, KY, earned his BA in Dramatic Arts at Centre College. This is his debut performance at UofL. Past credits elsewhere include Treasurer in The Emperor’s New Clothes, Cupid in Reindeer Monologues, Adam in the Completed Works of William Shakespeare, and Proteus in Two Gentlemen of Verona at Centre College.
Jared Hanlin (Chiron), Crestwood, KY, is a junior Theatre Arts major. Past credits at UofL include Louis Ironson in Angels in America, Part I “Millennium Approaches”, Bitzer in Refractions and Gregory in Romeo and Juliet. Other credits include Stranger in The American Century, Glenn Cooper in Rumors, Eugene Wright in If a Man Answers, and Alex Dennison in A Rehearsal for Murder.
Frances Lewis (Mutius, Nurse, Publius, Goth), Louisville, KY,is a sophomore Theatre Arts major. Past credits at UofL include Mickey in Cage Rhythm, Various characters in Three Plays for China, Rose in My Secret Language of Wishes, and Michael in Photograph: Lovers in Motion. Past credits elsewhere include Woman in Bus Days Play at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Stepmother in Cinderella at Music Theatre Louisville, Julie in Showboat, and Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer at the Youth Performing Arts School.
Brandon Meeks (Lucius), Louisville, KY, is a senior English and Humanities major. Past credits at UofL include Joe in Angels in America, Part 1 “Millennium Approaches”, Officer Lockstock in Urinetown, Student in Refractions, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Clown in The Winter’s Tale, and Wyler in As Bees in Honey Drown. He is also a member of The Indicators comedy troupe.
Lan Nguyen (Young Lucius, The Boy), Paducah, KY, is a senior English major. Past credits at UofL include Stanley #1 in Largo Desolato, Mamillius in The Winter’s Tale, Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Paula in Poet from Pikeville for Pleiades Theatre.
Gerry Rose (Satuininos), Birmingham, AL, is a second-year MFA student in Performance. Past credits at UofL include Roy Cohn in Angels in America, Part 1: “Millennium Approaches”, Producer, Gentleman in Refractions and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Past credits elsewhere include Lenny Ganz in Rumors, Scrooge in Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, Owen in 36 Views, and Pa Joad in Grapes of Wrath.
DeAldon R. Watson (Aaron), Houston, TX, is a first-year MFA student in Performance. Most recently he performed various roles in Three Plays for China. Past credits elsewhere include Various roles in Under Six, Servant in Measure for Pleasure at the Florida Studio Theatre, and Tartuffe in Tartuffe at The Essential Theatre.
Luke Wise (Alarbus, Martius, Caius, Aemilius), Madison, IN. This is his debut performance at UofL. Past credits elsewhere include Patrov in The Music Box with Musical Resource, Ensemble in High School Musical at Music Theatre Louisville, Peter Pan in Peter Pan, and Danny Zuko in Grease at Shawe Memorial High School.
William Yore IV (Quintus, Captain, Sempronius, Goth), Louisville, KY, received training at the Youth Acting Institute. This is his debut performance at UofL. Past credits elsewhere include Bugs Bunny in various productions at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Louisville Male High School.
Laura Early (Assistant Director) earned her MFA in theatre and a Certificate in African American Theatre from UofL. Directing credits include Teens Sound Off and School Play for the UofL Repertory Company, The Vagina Monologues, Savage Love and Wombman Wars. In addition to teaching theatre at UofL, Laura teaches Acting, Introduction to Theatre, and Theatre History at Bellarmine University.
Kathi E.B. Ellis (Assistant Director) UofL directing credits include MFA thesis production: adapting and directing A Doll's House for the Repertory Company, The Owl Answers for the African American Theatre Program, The Winter’s Tale, and Love Letters for Studio Theatre. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors' Lab and an associate member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. Her productions of West Side Story (2004) and Jekyll and Hyde (2005) have received nominations for the prestigious south Florida Regional Theatre Carbonell Awards. She was the lead collaborator and director for the NEA-funded original work Alice Moments: Echoes, Ripples, and Light for Pleiades Theatre, Louisville.
J. Barrett Cooper (Fight Director) returns to the University of Louisville where last year he directed the fights for Romeo and Juliet. He has directed fights for Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Wayside Theatre, Theatre 1010 (NYC) Arkansas Rep, and is well known locally for his direction and combat with Kentucky Opera, Kentucky Shakespeare, Necessary Theatre, Blue Valentine and Walden Theater. He is currently the Curator of Historic Interpretations at the Frazier International History Museum. Mr. Cooper is also the Artistic Director of The Savage Rose Classical Theatre Company slated to start production next year.
Michael F. Hottois (Scenic Design) has recently designed scenery for Angels in America, Part I “Millennium Approaches”, Cage Rhythm, Interrogating the Nude, My Secret Language of Wishes, Refractions, Blithe Spirit, The Winter’s Tale, In the Blood, A Doll House, The Face of Emmett Till, Night Sky, Home, School Play, and The Threepenny Opera. Last summer he designed The King and I and The Music Man and Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Always, Patsy Cline this summer for the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in New York. His credits as a scenic artist include the films Boris and Natasha and Closetland, as well as Soul of the Game for HBO. Michael is also a member of United Scenic Artists Union, Local 829.
Zhanna Goldentul (Costume Design) is the resident Costume Designer for the Theatre Arts department. Her recent designs for the department include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,Angels in America, Part 1 “Millennium Approaches”, Cage Rhythm, Romeo and Juliet, Blithe Spirit, A Midsummer’s Nights Dream , and In the Blood, She is a graduate of the Theatrical Art College in Moscow. Goldentul has designed costumes at The Louisville Children’s Theatre Stage Onefor Sleeping Beauty, and Hanzel and Gretel in 2002. From 2000 – 2005 she worked as the Designer Consultant, KY Opera, “Music, Words, Opera” Showcase. Zhanna has been a member of the United Scenic Artists' Union since 1993. She is currently working on her Graduate Degree in the Fine Arts Department.
Zachary Gilbert (Lighting Design), Louisville, KY, is a sophomore Theatre Arts major. Past credits at UofL include Assistant Stage Manager for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Assistant Lighting Designer for Angels in America, Part 1, “Millennium Approaches” and Master Electrician for Cage Rhythm, Interrogating the Nude and Urinetown. He also works for the Kentucky Opera as the assistant lighting designer and Music Theatre Louisville as the master electrician and lighting designer.
Garry Brown (Sound Design) is the Production Manager and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the UofL Theatre Arts Department. Recent sound designs include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Refractions,King Hedley II,Blithe Spirit, In the Blood, The Face of Emmett Till, Home, Bee-Luther-Hatchee, Troilus and Cressida, and Middle Passage: A Healing Ritual.
Russel Willoughby (Stage Manager), Louisville, KY, is a junior Theatre Arts major. This is his first theatrical production credit.
The Director
Dennis Krausnick, an actor, director, playwright, and teacher, is a co-founder of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox MA where he serves as its Director of Training and on its Board of Trustees. He teaches in theatre programs across the country as well as designing and leading the actor-training programs for Shakespeare & Company. He also serves as Senior Consultant for Corporate Scenes, providing theatre-based consulting work for the corporate community. His adaptations for the stage include some twenty-five one-act plays and half a dozen full-length plays based on the fiction of Edith Wharton and Henry James. He was awarded the Bingham Chair of Arts and Humanities for 2006 at the University of Louisville in recognition of his contributions to the field of actor training. During that semester he directed The Winter’s Tale for UofL audiences. He has directed many of the plays in the Shakespeare canon.
The Stage
Thrust Theatre
2314 S. Floyd Street
Louisville, KY 40292
This U of L Theatre Arts Productions will be performed on the intimate stage of the Thrust Theatre. Built in 1992 and seating 164 patrons, the Thrust offers a variety of staging opportunities and interaction with the audience.
The building housing the theatre is also the location of the Department's main office, faculty offices, classrooms and rehearsal rooms, and the costume shop.
The Thrust Theatre is located in the HPES/Studio Arts building on the corner of Warnock and Floyd, catty-corner from McDonald’s. Metered street parking is available on Floyd St. Free parking is available in university lots located along Floyd St. after 7:30 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends.
Click here Map of Thrust Theatre
The Ticket
Box Office
HPES / Studio Arts Building
Corner of Floyd and Warnock Streets
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
10am - 3pm
(502) 852-6814
Ticket Price
General Public - $12
Students - $8
Senior Citizens - $8
U of L Faculty/Staff - $8
Additional Information
To make ticket reservations, please contact the Box Office Manager, Debbie Hudson, at 852-6814. Accepted methods of payment include Visa & Mastercard.
SPECIAL PROMOTION:
Buy One get One FREE for "Titus Andronicus" when you present your ticket stub from The Frazier International History Museum.