Bring a picnic and a lawn chair to Government Springs Park June 23- 25 and get ready to experience Gaslight’s first-ever production of
The Tragedy of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s earliest and bloodiest tragedy. Think Shakespeare meets
Pulp Fiction, Fargo, and
The Matrix in 90 minutes of political corruption, revenge and deception, plus an assortment of other evils.
Ancient (yet, not so ancient) Rome is in disarray—the Emperor has died. When the late Emperor’s sons, Saturninus (played by Alex Ewald) and Bassianus (Jared Hardy) via for the title, the choice is left to Titus, Patriarch of the Andronici (portrayed by Ben Ezzell). Titus has recently returned victorious from Rome’s war against the Goths led by their powerful Queen Tamora (Mona Campbell). Titus, reunited in Rome with his sister Maria (Catina Sundvall) and daughter Lavinia (Bailey Wilson) has lost 21 sons in the war, but he brings home important prisoners. Before turning over his war captives to the new Emperor, Titus demands a living sacrifice to honor the sons killed in the war. He chooses Tamora’s eldest son Alarbus (Mark Anzalone), and so begins Tamora’s hatred for Titus and all the rest of the Andronici. When Emperor Saturninus frees Titus’ war captives and selects Tamora as his own Empress, Tamora has power to inflict her revenge. She uses her remaining sons (played by Lane Gavitt, Johnathan Wallace) and her lover Aaron (Venson Fields) to manipulate, maim, and deceive: thus begins this saga of bloodshed, dismemberment, and death.
Additional actors in this tragedy include Matthew Houston, Jeramie Tipton, Jim Clark, Charlet Ringwald, Justin Crase, Mary Fischaber, Jasmine Crase, and Destiny Mitchell, with Phillip Fischaber on Trumpet.
Stephanie Ritter serves as Assistant Director for the production; Heather Palmer is Stage Manager and Creator of special blood-soaked props. Peter Fischaber is Stage Fight Choreographer; Whitney Hall serves as sound and light technician; Carmen Ball has been instrumental in Costumes.
Director Mary McDonald promises that audiences will be immensely entertained by the initial battle scene, as well as the unfolding of Tamora and Titus’ escalating battle of revenge.
As always, Gaslight’s Shakespeare in the Park is free to the public, thanks to our generous sponsors: Jon and Diane Ford, Security National Bank of Enid, Exit Home Reality, and Ezzell and Shepherd. Mark your calendars and bring a picnic to Government Springs Park the final full weekend of June: June 23, 24 and 25. Each performance begins at 8:00 p.m.
