Titus Andronicus
Credits

Titus Andronicus
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Jeffrey Guyton

(Above) Megan Bienstock as "Lavinia" and Dan Snow as "Titus" in TITUS ANDRONICUS at the East River Park Amphitheatre. Photo by Marcus Collier. (Right) Jerry Clicquot as "Aaron" and Sara Hatfield as "Tamora" in TITUS ANDRONICUS at the East River Park Amphitheatre. Photo by Marcus Collier.

Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare's most intense and harrowing play, was the most popular and most performed of Shakespeare's plays during his lifetime, but is little known today. In 1955 the London Sunday Times said that Titus "comes disconcertingly near to the current standards of political behavior." These words are even truer now. Gilgamesh's production, set in the Middle East, strikingly illustrated how its themes of revenge and violence are relevant to our world today. Titus asks: Does revenge ever end? What is just? Who has the right to play God? and weighs the consequences of an increasing cycle of revenge and horror.

The Ensemble in TITUS ANDRONICUS at the East River Park Amphitheatre.
Photo by Marcus Collier.

Titus Andronicus, marked the return of free Shakespeare to the Amphitheatre that served as the original home of Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Jeffrey Guyton, formerly with the Stratford Festival of Canada (one of North America's leading Shakespeare companies), TITUS featured a cast of 26, Middle Eastern dancing, Greco-Roman wrestling, stage combat by Nicholas Little, costumes by Andrea Varga and special effects and hair by Gary Arave. TITUS' choreographer Jehan has performed from the concert halls of the West to the palaces and temples of the East and is a Director of the Temple of Jehan which teaches belly dance, an ancient powerful art, celebrating life and sensuality. Percussionist William Ruiz is a Taino Indian and Spanish-American log drummer, a pioneering and multitalented percussionist whose style reflects a wide breadth of inspirations, ranging from Caribbean to Classical. He has performed across America and can be heard on Jay Rodriguez's album Olajope.

William Ruiz on the log drum and Jeffrey Guyton on the shofar in TITUS ANDRONICUS at the East River Park Amphitheatre.
Photo by Marcus Collier.

Titus Andronicus was presented at the East River Park Amphitheatre. Built in 1941, the Amphitheatre was a cultural mecca for decades, but the place where Duke Ellington and Eleanor Roosevelt appeared, and where Joseph Papp launched his dream of free Shakespeare for all New Yorkers, had lain in ruins for 30 years. Then, shortly after 9/11, Erin Brockovich, the world's most famous paralegal, accepted a challenge from Mayor Giuliani to rebuild the Amphitheatre. Over 130 companies and individuals, led by Tishman Construction Corp., one of the builders of the World Trade Center, joined together to rebuild the Amphitheater in a biblical 6 days. Normally a project of this magnitude would have taken up to a year to complete. The restoration quickly became a symbol of hope and unity. Two new, elliptical steel "wings" soar upwards on each side, symbolizing the American Spirit. Salvaged pieces of pink granite from the World Trade Center were incorporated into a Memorial Plaza along the river side with benches for meditation. Today, a phoenix risen from the ashes, the Amphitheatre is once again a community center and playhouse for all New Yorkers: a great symbol of the history, diversity and vitality of our beautiful city.

This program was supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Billy Rose Foundation.