Rehearsing Titus: Approaching the Title Role
The first and most disturbing, at least on a physical level, of Shakespeare’s tragedies has always intrigued me. From the Elizabethan enthusiasm for the play to the Victorian revulsion, it has occupied a strange place in Shakespeare’s cannon. While it doesn’t have the depth of the 1600 tragedies it certainly sets up a few of the same ideas, and when it’s done well in performance, it is an incredibly draining experience.
Read MoreRehearsing Titus: Approaching Lavinia
How can the shift from doting, worshipping daughter of her first speech into a young woman throwing biting insults at Tamora and her soon-to-be rapist sons be convincingly portrayed? And how can the transition from these striking short speeches into a mute woman, the projection of a male fantasy, be shown on stage?
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