Haven's TITUS ANDRONICUS Begins February 13 At The Den Theatre

Haven is pleased to continue its 2019-20 season with William Shakespeare's revenge-tragedy TITUS ANDRONICUS, promising a thrilling, bloody marathon - centering on the voices of marginalized people too often excluded from classical theater performance. Directed by Artistic Director Ian Damont Martin,

TITUS ANDRONICUS will play February 13 - March 5, 2020 at The Den Theatre's Heath Main Stage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at havenchi.org. The press opening is Tuesday, February 18 at 7:30 pm.

 

The cast includes Trevor Bates (Demetrius), Brian Bradford (Mutius/Young Lucius), Tarina Bradshaw (Lavinia), Jemima Charles (Ensemble), LaKecia Harris (Bassianus), Gregory D. Hicks (Lucius), Benjamin T. Jenkins (Quintus), Christopher Wayland Jones (Saturninus), Colin Jones (Titus), Morgan Lavenstein (Chiron), James Lewis (Martius), Gabrielle Lott-Rogers (Marcus), Andre McGraw (Clown), Danyelle Monson (Nurse), Andrew Neftalí Perez (Aaron), Michaela Petro (Tamora), Shane Richlen (Alarbus) and Christopher Vizurraga (Ensemble).

 

In a society that seems increasingly plagued by senseless violence, Shakespeare's bloodiest play Titus Andronicus feels increasingly germane. When Titus returns home from a 10-year war against the Goths with their Queen as his prisoner, a bloody cycle of violence ensues across familial and political lines. Is revenge ever justifiable? What if there is no justice? These questions remain surprisingly relevant some 400 years later. Titus Andronicus explores the impact of vengeance across the intersections of family, power and race.

 

Comments Haven Artistic Director Ian Damont Martin, "It means something in today's U.S./Western context to bring these often marginalized identities to the center of this work, considering its (and our) rich history of excluding and subjugating people of color. When a Black person embodies a text and world wherein characters say exactly what they think and feel, ultimately in an effort to harvest empathy and understanding - it is a ripe and refreshing piece of catharsis. And to do that with this canonized text and form (aka a dead white guy's poetry that he mostly appropriated), THAT feels particularly subversive. We're recasting narrative and reimagining canon. And personally in my work, I'm deep in this moment of needing to figure out my relationship to the anxiety of trauma. The crossroads of justice and politics, nationhood and class, race and family - that's a centuries-old six corner intersection with no traffic lights that I am (and we are) still very much trying to navigate and survive."

 

The production team includes Sydney Lynne Thomas (scenic design), Lily Walls (costume design), Adrienne Johnson (lighting design), Sarah Espinoza (sound design), Emily Boyd (props design), R&D Choreography (violence design), Micah Figueroa (intimacy design), Leon Evans (movement design), Ada Alozie (assistant director), Angela Salinas (production manager), Nicholas Reinhart (associate production manager), Blake Cordell (master electrician), Angela Mix (wardrobe lead), Emily Marrazzo (stage manager) and Angela Matera (assistant stage manager).