Titus Andronicus: More Than Just a Halloween Treat

The cast in rehearsals

written by Charlotte Groombridge

In the 11 year tenure of the Canterbury Shakespeare Festival, this is the first time we have staged one of Shakespeare’s earliest works. But why the wait?

Certainly, Titus Andronicus has a gory reputation which can be off-putting to directors and audiences alike. In the same breath, it can also be argued that this reputation cultivates its own community of fervent fans.

And even the more fair weather attendees of Shakespeare shows can’t help but notice the lack of skill present in this work. Characterisations which barely dip below the surface level, bloody vengeance included only for the shock value, and no speeches reaching the beautiful poetry you find in Hamlet Romeo & Juliet. 

In our mission to stage every one of Shakespeare’s plays (even if only once for some of the weaker parts of the canon) we knew that Halloween would be the perfect time for a dark, atmospheric production. A small cast, an intimate space, and a handy bar nearby in case you really need a drink when the bloodshed is over!

Co-Director Cal Harbottle

And sure, it would be easy to throw some fake blood at a group of actors and call it a day, but in reality there is a lot more depth to this play than is often given credit to it. Although early in his literary career, a simple revenge tragedy would have been too, well, simple for Shakespeare. 

Instead, this intensely gory offering explores the destructive power of honour, and the cyclical nature of violence. We gasp as those few innocent souls suffer at the hands of powerful men, and then ourselves call for the vengeance which inevitably follows. The visceral nature of the crimes mean we do not sit at the side-lines, but are brought directly into the tragedy, an actor in the drama rather than an audience member. 

And this could be argued to be the true message of the piece. The only purpose of these elaborate acts of violence is for other people to watch them, applaud them, or to take a well learned lesson from them. Violence begets violence, but could we end the cycle if we were able to look away from the carnage?    

So, we hope you enjoy our first, but hopefully not last, production of a play which definitely deserves more love. And though it might seem cliché, isn’t Halloween the perfect time to delve into a true classic of the horror oeuvre? 

Tickets available here