Titus Andronicus: A Wilderness of Tigers

Overview

“Will it consume me?” – Titus Andronicus 3.1.63

How long can one be denied justice before they must take up arms to seek their own? A broken soldier, a humiliated queen, a savaged maiden, and a marginalized other all cry out for justice but are silenced. When the pursuit of justice is consumed by the desire for vengeance, chaos erupts, and Rome is embroiled in a bitter war of retribution.

In A Wilderness of Tigers, the bard’s bloody tale of revenge is transformed into an immersive theatrical experience in which audiences will find themselves as gods who descend to earth to hold judgement over mankind. Audiences will witness the show from the perspective of one of four characters – Titus, Tamora, Saturninus, or Bassianus – and become conspirators to the madness and machinations in a gruesome search for justice.

Through a mixture of audience interaction, aerial arts, song, and Shakespeare’s original verse, Titus Andronicus: A Wilderness of Tigers explores the liminal space where the civilized and the barbaric blur, where the self and the other intertwine.

Throughout the show, audiences will be standing, walking, and/or climbing stairs, so comfortable shoes/attire are recommended. Though audience may be seated at certain points, this is not a seated performance.

Audiences may be offered food or drink at different points throughout the show. Individual audience members may accept or decline offerings based on personal preference, inclination, or restriction.

Though audience interaction and participation are a part of the performance, audiences who are hesitant about close contact with performers can inform a member of house staff upon check-in to ensure individual considerations are respected as much as possible.

About the Artist

Founded in 2015, Forgotten Lore Theatre is a Philadelphia-area performance company with a particular emphasis on immersive storytelling that produces devised works and original plays by area playwrights. We believe art is created in the numinous space between artist and audience. Through innovative and experimental performances, we foster unique theatrical experiences for each audience member in an effort to keep the communal art of storytelling alive. Previous Fringe Festival entries:

• Dissever My Soul (2015)


• Ashes of a Dead Philosophy (2016)


• Every Day, Apocalypse! by R.A. Reutter (2017)


• The Clinic by Rebecca Gomezrueda (2019)


• Illimitable Dominion (2020)


• Lovers and Madmen: Visions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (2021)


• Rising from a Thousand Thrones (2022)