Happy May Everyone!
You might remember, back in August, we ran a Live Twitter Q&A for our all-female production of Titus Andronicus. Well, it’s taken a little while, but we’ve managed to get it on the blog now for all to see. Have a read below.
Any other questions, or if you want to keep the discussion going, drop us a line via the comments below. In the next couple we’ll be putting out a series of posts about the theory and development of Titus – answering some common questions, and publishing some of our journal notes. So do shout with anything you’d like to hear about.
But. In the meantime, without further ado… here it is:
@SmoothFacedGent #SFGqa Does yr approach to gender inform yr approach to stage violence(or reverse) Or r they diff. concepts to act/direct?
#SFGqa @gentlemantom Good question.The fact the cast are women didn’t affect it(except desire to avoid being perceived as girly),but…
#SFGqa @gentlemantom …but the awareness of characters’ gender was hugely influential. Fight choice came from understanding of character…
#SFGqa @gentlemantom …(and ace choreography by @rcannie), but gender was a preoccupation in that understanding of character.
@SmoothFacedGent #SFGqa There seems to be an emerging trend for all-female Shakespeare or cross gender casting. Why do you think this is?
#SFGqa @JenShakesby There’s always hunger for “fresh” takes on #Shakespeare. Not sure there’s necc *more* single/cross gender casting …
#SFGqa @JenShakesby …right now bt high profile shows eg by @donmarwarehouse spark debate (cf @guardian @lyngardner). Compare that to …
#SFGqa @JenShakesby the semi-regular (and awesome) #allfemale shows done by @The_Globe which often don’t advertise their gender. Also…
#SFGqa @JenShakesby …Also, obv there’s real gender inequality in theatre (and elsewhere) which people are still trying to fix, & slowly…
#SFGqa @JenShakesby …slowly becoming more confident talking about/addressing/understanding, in society as a whole. Slowly!
@SmoothFacedGent #SFGqa I wrote that I saw the characters as men, and barely noticed the actors were women. Did that make you happy or sad?
#SFGqa @FringeGuru VERY happy! We are actors telling a story. If the characters are portrayed well enough so that the gender…
#SFGqa @FringeGuru … of the actor is forgotten, we’ve done our job!
@SmoothFacedGent #SFGqa Abstract approach to stage violence seems to suit singlegender casting- wondering if this was deliberate?
#SFGqa @gentlemantom No. But interesting point raised about abstract vs realism. Nothin to do w/ gender, but chose paint as middle ground…
#SFGqa @gentlemantom …aiming for visceral brutality of blood, but with a – I guess – Brechtian spin. If you aim for true realism in…
#SFGqa @gentlemantom …in violence/blood, it can sooooo easily look totally crass or gratuitous or – most likely – just rubbish!
@SmoothFacedGent #SFGqa And another… What are the interpretive possibilities of using a single gender and what challenges lie therein?
#SFGqa @JenShakesby The possibilities are endless! The only challenge is overcoming prejudice and scepticism…
#SFGqa @JenShakesby … – after that there’s just character and story!
@SmoothFacedGent #SFGqa are you fed up with people questioning why all female/what’s your agenda whereas all male Shakes is simply accepted?
#SFGqa @clm90 Not fed up (always happy to discuss!) but intrigued at how often the subject is raised as an issue…
#SFGqa @clm90 … But the boys have tradition on their side, so it was bound to take a bit of time to settle the idea with our audiences!
@SmoothFacedGent And again… What drew you to create an all-female company?
#SFGqa @JenShakesby A gap in the market and desire to address the imbalance in the industry. Also a desire to play these incredible parts!
