A Manchester-based theatre company, Cream-Faced Loons, is bringing a new take on Shakespeare’s most violent play to a Salford pub.
Titus Andronicus is being shown at Salford’s The King’s Arms from the 17th October – 21st October, just in time for the halloween season.
Abey Bradbury, the Show’s Director, founded the company in 2016 and explained: “The idea was to try and make Shakespeare more accessible, like Shakespeare for people who don’t like Shakespeare.”
They explained that the original plans for performing Titus had been something that she had wanted to do since the start of the Cream-Faced Loons six years ago. However, they decided that it could wait until the company built it’s audience, as the reputation Titus Andronicus of Shakespeare’s most goriest play is for good reason.
“It’s one I’ve always had in the back of my mind,” they explained, “It was our plan to do Titus in 2020 for our October and November show but obviously a pandemic got in the way.
“And now it’s like finally our time is now! So it feels like a show that’s been six years in the making.”
Abey explained how the scripts are each edited down to a maximum of an hour and a half, to make it more streamlined and less daunting for people. However, the scripts still keep the original language used by Shakespeare. But the company is based around the art of ‘clowning’ and so the physciality of the performances makes it still easy to understand for those who struggle with Shakespearean language.
Titus’ performances are also captioned with projections on three walls around the room, to help with the accessiblity of understanding the show and also for those hard of hearing in the audience. It also includes scenes which are signed in British Sign Language (BSL).
Bradbury followed: “For the actors it’s either very scary because if they mess their lines up it’s very obvious because it’s on the wall, or it’s brilliant because if you forget your lines you just have to look up.”
These captions are one of the reasons this show is the most technically ambitious that they have attempted, even surpassing a performance under a bridge. However it’s also because performance space, as they usually perform outside where they can rely on natural light. Not to mention the 10 litres of fake blood needed for this week of performances.
“When we do shows inside we tend to go with a blank space and we re-create it into something else, like we did Macbeth as an immersive show that had devised elements to it, like a play within a play.
“We did Twelfth Night set in a hotel, so when people came in they got a free glass of wine and there was a band playing.”
Tickets for the performances are still available here. However, there is an age restriction of 14+ and many warnings for audience members. This includes warnings about themes of violence, extreme gore, and sexual assault.
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