About CROWNS

Shakespeare was able to steal, repurpose and merge stories into works of art that are still relevant today through their themes. These works were developed though looking to literature of the past, and repurposing them for the climate of the time, and this is what TCotA's production of CROWNS has done, following in the footsteps of Shakespeare himself. Taking crucial scenes from five of Shakespeare's most brutal tragedies and sewing them into one cohesive storyline, CROWNS focuses on the tragedy that is the human condition and its lust for power. Greed and ambition are the major themes of this piece, set in an abstracted industrial zone, with all the characters weaving a complex tale of a battle for absolute power.The script is devised using scenes from Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, King Lear and Titus Andronicus, and 

also features original work by Lucy Pullen, who doubles in her role as the Stage Manager. Directed by Dr. Robert Lewis, this work is the major production for the second year students undertaking their Bachelor of Contemporary Arts (Theatre) at the University of Tasmania.CROWNS is as much the performers play and vision as it is the directors, with all cast members taking on a production role alongside their performative work. This work challenges and encompasses all facets of its performer's theatrical training, and will leave its audience with an image of human brutality that will not soon be forgotten.

CROWNS: 6th-7th May 7PM (Launceston)8th May 1PM + 7PM (Launceston)9th May 7PM (Launceston)15th May 8PM (Burnie)

Ticket Prices: $10.(Free for UTAS Bachelor of Contemporary Art Students and TCotA staff). 
Locations: The Annex Theatre, Inversek, Launceston, (6th-9th of May).

The Burnie Arts and Function Centre, Burnie, (15th of May). 

Directors Notes.
CROWNS: an Experiment in Adaptation

CROWNS, a risky project that digs deep into the universal and topical themes of ambition, greed and power, is an amalgamation of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, Titus Andronicus and King Lear. Although audiences may recognise some of the main soliloquies that are present in the play, such as ‘Now is the winter of our discontent’, ‘Is this a dagger I see before me?’, ‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’ and ‘To be, or not to be’, they should enter the theatre with an open mind with no preconceived ideas. Audiences should treat this play as a brand new work rather than a mash-up of five well-known plays. We see a play where Hamlet, Richard III, Macbeth, Titus Andronicus and King Lear (together with most of the other characters in those plays) are all in the one play - and they all want the crown. 

Some characters are merged with other characters from the five plays to create new ones. Titus Andronicus is, at times, Banquo, Richard sometimes takes on the role of Edmund, Lear sometimes takes on the role of Polonius, and Lady Macbeth is also Tamorah in some moments. This project is, at its core, an exercise in reworking the classics through piecing together different jigsaw puzzles that have connecting themes.

‘Adaptation – taking a work of art and rearranging it for reasons of expediency, commercial advantage or artistic imperative is the natural impulse of the arts [...] [It] satisfies a particular strain of curiosity for theatre-goers. An original play can be judged only on its own terms. An adaptation, good or bad, will almost invariably be judged against the original’ (Westwood 2012).

The above quote by The Australian journalist Matthew Westwood, specifically refers to the production of Melbourne Theatre Company’s 2012 production of Queen Lear. The production was directed and adapted by Rachel McDonald, featuring Robin Nevin as Lear herself.  CROWNS will, no doubt be judged against the five plays from which it came from, and it would be hard not to examine the relevance or significance of these plays and why they were chosen. This process has been an exercise in understanding and working with Shakespeare’s texts; an exercise in collaboration and compromise; and above all, an exercise in adaptation.

The Australian theatre is experiencing a number of classic adaptations, including Simon Stone’s acclaimed versions of Ibsen’s Wild Duck, Thyestes and Death of a Salesman. Westwood continues by stating that ‘[a] new work brought about through adaptation does not mean destruction of the old. Instead, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants that artists create something new’ (Westwood 2012).

It would be clear to say that William Shakespeare is perhaps the most widely produced playwright in Australian theatre. Mainstream theatre companies stage his plays year after year. Productions are staged in schools, performed in prisons and mounted by community theatre companies all over the country. Companies re-imagine his works and contemporise the play by using modern sets, costume, and place them in contemporary contexts. Actors and directors are eager to be involved in Shakespeare, but what is the meaning of this continuous dominance of Shakespeare in contemporary Australian theatre? What are the expectations of companies surrounding the staging of these classic productions that are so well known and admired? Are we at the stage now - where regular theatre audiences who are knowledgeable on the classics want something else – something more challenging and exciting? Are the themes in his plays relevant to our day and age? Can modern audiences relate to the characters? How does one contemporise the production so moderns audiences can understand what’s going on?

These questions can be a challenge to these student actors, who for some, are dealing with Shakespeare for the first time. So, how can students have a better understanding of not only Shakespeare, but connecting 16^th and 17^th Century narratives to a contemporary audience? I've always been interested in turning Shakespeare inside out, upside down and experimenting with form and structure. I believe Shakespeare should be explored, pulled apart and interrogated. This time, I have given the second year students and our Stage Manager this responsibility, and control in the creation of this work in the hope that this self-directed learning can spark a further interest in Shakespeare, spur an interest in classical text, and develop an appreciation of the art of adaptation.

Dr Robert Lewis, Director of CROWNS. 

References:

Westwood, M 2012, Standing on the shoulder of giants', The Australian 7 August. Available from: <http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/standing-on-shoulders-of-giants/story-e6frg8n6-1226444224017>. [20 April 2015]