TITUS ANDRONICUS Comes to Theatre Works in November

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First staged in 2023 as a co-production with the Prague Shakespeare Company, Th'Unguarded Duncan and Theatre Works now invite audiences to the Australian premiere season of this hellish tale. A surreal telling of Shakespeare's most violent play, this latest season is brought to life by a remarkable team and features international artist and Prague Shakespeare Company Associate Director Josh Morrison in the titular role.

Titus Andronicus is the engrossing tale of Titus; a Roman General who has just returned from war, victorious against the Goths. With their Queen, Tamora, and her sons in tow as prisoners, he publicly executes her eldest child as retribution for the death of his own sons. Tamora, now filled with a bloody rage after the pleas for the life of her son fell on deaf ears, embarks on an obliterating journey of revenge that will leave few untouched.

A highly energetic and stylised telling, this season by Th'Unguarded Duncan of Shakespeare's rarely seen work will marry martial arts, ensemble movement pieces, and original music to bring the electric and dangerous world of the play alive.

“In 2019 and 2022 we worked with the Prague Shakespeare Company on a production of King Lear,” explains co-Director Claire Nichols.

“The production employed quite a physical and ensemble-based style of working that used movement to tell certain elements of the story, and we're really keen to further develop that way of tackling Shakespeare. Our staging of Titus Andronicus features several ensemble movement pieces at key moments to tell this tale, so while all of Shakespeare's incredible characterisation and poetry is still very much in the foreground, it's a physical exploration of his work that people may not have experienced before.”

“This is not a naturalistic production,” adds co-Director Kevin Hopkins.

“We're harnessing the audience's imagination, which is incredibly powerful, to fill in the gaps. Also, the show runs 90 mins straight through, which is unusual for a Shakespeare. It will be an energetic production, and we're excited about taking audiences on that ride.”

With a 13-strong ensemble of local and international actors, this premiere season features an original score by Max Hopkins and is proudly supported by Theatre Works as part of the With Theatre Works 2025 programming.

A dynamic story of vengeance that challenges our need to redress the wrongs in our lives, Titus Andronicus asks a powerful question: Is revenge worth it? A cautionary tale for our times, pitting revenge and cruelty against resilience and tenderness, don't miss the opportunity to witness Shakespeare's ultra-violent tragedy strike the Theatre Works stage this November.

Th'Unguarded Duncan is a creative collaboration between Kevin Hopkins and Claire Nicholls. Their relationship with the Prague Shakespeare Company has enabled the company to explore Shakespeare in a unique way as Australian artists and has led them to craft a style that is distinctly physical and ensemble based. Since 2019, Th'Unguarded Duncan has developed classes and coaching in ‘Psychophysical Actor Training', incorporating elements of Asian acting methodologies, moving meditations, and martial arts, which often inform its productions.