TITUS 15 March

Oh, my favorite part of theatre. Ten people in a room, all talking to themselves, gesticulating, having a lot of feelings, wandering about. It is when theatre looks like church or an insane asylum. Literally. This week’s plan is yoga, show’n’tell (monologues), and then sculpting. What will the world of TITUS look like after today? What is so exciting about this – why I am so excited to be here for it – is that after the actors have done all this work that comes from so deep within them, today they have been driven back into the text? How will they connect after all these processes? What have they learned? Will we be able to tell? Lights out and…yoga time. The other thing that could happen with these monologues is a new – and by could I mean will, obviously, fool that I am – understanding of what TITUS means today. Here, Now. This story of nationalism, pride, honor, and vengeance – how does it mean for these ten young people who are the future of theatre in the world? And so, how do all of these ancient texts become alive in the world – what does our world mean and how can we tell from what they say, what they feel, how they move and stand and relate and live? This is what I love most about this process. Just…watching, I suppose, and being in the presence of this sort of intensity. Even today, when it is mostly nervous energy and spring break alcohol intake being released through yoga poses. Even today, they are in the world and loving each other and in their bodies and utterly breathtaking.Monologues! How were your various journeys through the assignment? Zac – Demetrius doesn’t have any speeches except the one we all know – what I did was took a bunch of his lines and made a monologue – totally allowed. Some of lines are people not in the scenes. See everyone’s pieces, feedback, discussion – towards the end we’ll choose one and see if we can build it into something bigger, maybe two – experiment with building blocks. Not going to clap now – later. No – now.
Ross – 1
Nicole – 2
Jen – 3
Zac – 4
Chelsea – 5
Nick – 6
Dayne – 7
Keith – 8
Liz – 9
Ashley – 10
Just for future reference. Apparently these are clapping numbers – I have not been to Titus rehearsal in a long time.

ZAC: Demetrius
Speech – the bait and rape of Lavinia. Accusing Lavinia of all the wrongs her people have done, picking a fight with Chiron and claiming his turn, let me do my thing, and then and I start to rape her. It’s kind of bad. Yea. That sounds awful. Chiron and Demetrius circling Lavinia. Learn thou to make some meaner choice. Go to. Stay madam – here. Here is more that belongs to her – first… Honestly, I don’t know…wow. We hunt not, we with horse nor hound, to hope to pluck this dainty doe to ground. Wow. Okay. Yup.
TALKBACK: What was different in execution than what happened in your head? I see Chiron and Demetrius being finally able to have power because Lavinia is a small figure – accuse her of everything that happened to us. I want Chiron to back off because I’m the older brother. Show him the ropes of what it is to be a man. OH MY GOD. This is so traumatizing. Because that means that rape is what it is to be a man. I’m not sure that’s untrue – but the fact that that is what we’ve tapped into – how horribly sad for men. And women, of course, but how horribly sad for men. What I found really interesting – the transference of power because Tamora gives you power and then you use it against Lavinia. One degree of separation between Tamora and Lavinia. She has no tongue to call nor hands to wash. WOW. It’s not hunting, it’s revenge.

NICK: Aaron
Needs two guys. Zac and Keith. Surprise for us…interesting. I guess we will discuss it afterwards. Let fools do good and fair men call for grace. Vengeance is in my heart and death in my hand. Blood and revenge are hammering in my head. This whole physicalization of violence – the location of vengeance, death, blood & revenge. If there were devils, would that I be one.
TALKBACK: I was trying to figure out how Aaron got to the point where we see him in Titus – I saw it almost as if Aaron is a Titus who had lost his family and ended up enslaved in Rome. Anyone associated with Rome is considered guilty in his eyes. Aaron covering himself in dirt, filth, and darkness and trying to put it into D & C. Finding something that is proof that he existed – it is in his son. As long as the son is alive, it doesn’t matter if Aaron dies. [How set is your movement – could you repeat it?] Majority I can repeat – not set in stone, but past the beginning, had most of it set in stone. Loved the beginning and when you were moving on the plane that you’re on now. Everything you did before you started speaking. I hate it when outside noises intrude on this time. That’s just a private note. I want them out of my experience. This repetition of Aaron gestures is really neat. A little Pina, as Joel says. Everyone agrees this is cool. Keep that it in your mind. Add in the baby heart transformation.

JEN: Tamora
Circle. Lights. Totally bloody awesome.
TALKBACK: Trying to rationalize the Aaron scene within Tamora’s character. She talks about how beautiful everything is and then she wants to convince them to murder on her behalf and she talks about how awful things are. She’s so convincing or her sons are so believable – I wanted to play with the dichotomy of those two scenes. Sun/sons - there is no life in Rome for her. She has to slip into some kind of madness. Wonderful pinnacle of a queen and then…I think it starts when Alarbus is killed. Went through and every line where she mentioned anything maternal or Titus/Andronicus – wrote down all the words in order. Wow wow wow wow. Alarbus is her firstborn and she offs her first born by Aaron.
LIZ: Lavinia
For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy? When did the tiger’s young ones teach the dam. I SAY NO. Oh my. “I say no.” A poor unseasonable doe. I was slain when Bassianus died, for love is strong as death and jealousy is cruel. There is something horribly affective about her sitting and holding her body together – as though it will shatter if she lets go. A wilderness where there are no laws. Tears harden lust. Life imprisoned in a body dead. That is gone for which I sought to live, and now I need not fear to die, for love is strong as death. Justice is feasting. This could be a rape narrative from today. “Life imprisoned in a body dead.” Tears harden lust – invoke it and make it not-love. I have felt exactly like this.
TALKBACK: That monologue is twice as long as Lavinia’s lines combined. How did you go about the research? A couple things that I knew off the top of my head, and then I read The Rape of Lucrece. Took me three days – it’s that depressing. Went through those and anything that immediately popped out, I copy and pasted – and within I found things that made sense and meant something to me. A lot of things Lavinia didn’t need to say but I needed to know. My whole goal was to give her a chance to say what she never gets to say. My heart is breaking inside of my chest right now. She never gets to explain what happened to her. I like your use of breath a lot.

CHELSEA: Tamora
I will not beg in vain I am Tamora I am not Tamora she is thy enemy and I am thy friend. I am revenge.
TALKBACK: Really nice and good stuff – let’s make it more avant-garde-y.
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ROSS: Marcus
I love those red things. Love, love them. The visual of them around her feet is rather extraordinary. Sorrow flouted as is double death. Which of your hands hath not defended Rome? Mine hath been idle. Let it serve that I have kept it to a worthy end.

TALKBACK: There’s blood on the floor. Obsessed with that. It went on forever and was so beautiful. I was like, man I wish I had some white gloves. Then mine were hunting gloves. They could’ve just broken them really bad and I had to finish them off. He really is not like his brother – he’s much more calm and in his head. And when he sees Lavinia, he’s not immediately brought to power and revenge, he’s relying on his words. When he figures out who did it, he snaps into Andronici mode. Using her chastity to get back at them? Fun to do it for Titus. I liked Titus’s back being to us – made you be Titus [audience]. Almost felt like an autopsy guy – the body has been desecrated, etc.
KEITH: Titus
Ooooh, we are playing with this blood now. Ross has brought props into the world. I am into the idea of them standing and collapsing towards each other – I think that’s super neat.
TALKBACK: It’s where Titus talks the most – he goes off. And he talks for so long, and I wanted to do the whole damn thing, but it’s too long – that whole monologue, he details everything. I think the end, where he talks about what he’s going to do, can be kept as short. Thanks to you guys, my sons are dead…There’s a body count. Interesting. I like the idea of including the body count, I feel. This idea that the bodies have to be named.

DAYNE: Saturninus
I can’t get over this blood on the floor. For serious. And the way that looked was extraordinary – the two lands divided, and the menacing approach with the shadows behind.
TALKBACK: I feel like he’s a brat. In the other one he’s complaining – everything is pretty much his fault. He really reminded me of Leo in Man in the Iron Mask – the bratty twin. He had that stature of sheltered royalty. He thinks they’re his entourage, but they are in charge. I want him to fluctuate between angry and passive-aggressive. Don’t put it to bed. Keep driving at it.

NICOLE: Lavinia
Happy skipping Lavinia. This is somehow even more heartbreaking after Liz’s. With tears of joy shed on this earth for thy return to Rome. ‘Tis pity they take him for a stag. Even at thy teat thou barest this tyranny. ‘Tis present death I beg. No womanhood. O beastly creature. I love this indictment of Tamora’s womanhood. Confusion fall. Confusion fall. Confusion fall.
TALKBACK: Lavinia – I wanted her to be strong. She’s royalty. She’s not somebody to be fucked with. She’s Titus’s daughter. She’s scared to death but she’s strong. She is worthy. And I wanted to play with that. Didn’t want to play with the innocent ingénue. Confidence. I loved that you really allowed transitions to happen – I’m really glad you took time in there to move us from place to place.

ASHLEY: Chiron
I am as able and as fit as thou. Beg my passions for Lavinia’s love. Can my violence conquer thee? Oh my god oh my god oh my god. The coin tossing. Oh my god oh my god. Play the scribe. Wash thy hands. Wash thy hands.
TALKBACK: Wow. I pasted some parts together and since he’s older, I see myself as young and immature. I see it as a game and trying to win her. That closet was pretty intense right there. The magic trick. You got so much out of Chiron. Added what was missing and did that really well. I added the “can my violence conquer thee?” Sensual in such a good way.
GODDAMN PRODUCTION MEETING. I depart, with no joy.