(MADISON, NJ) -- The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey continues its 56th season with its second Main Stage production, Titus Andronicus. Resident Director Brian B. Crowe will helm this rarely produced Shakespearean tragedy. STNJ veteran Bruce Cromer will play the title role; Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli and returning company members Vanessa Morosco and Benjamin Eakeley will play leading roles amongst a cast of 20 actors that also includes young artists from the Theatre’s renowned Summer Professional Training Program. Performances run July 18 through August 5.
Not seen at The Shakespeare Theatre in over 30 years, the Bard’s infamous play was wildly popular with the Elizabethan audience. Now might just be the right time to present it to a modern audience who seem to share the Elizabethan appetite for revenge epics. This unsettling portrait of a society drowning in violence and seemingly bereft of civil thought or action holds a disturbing mirror up to aspects of today’s world.
Director Brian B. Crowe said, "Titus Andronicus is a play that has been on my ‘wish list’ since my college years – a time when Bruce Cromer was one of my professors. I find it to be one of Shakespeare’s most exciting and accessible plays because it plays much more like Game of Thrones or Braveheart than the Masterpiece Theatre idea of Shakespeare. It’s visceral and captivating, and at times, wickedly funny."
Bruce Cromer will play the title role of Titus Andronicus for his ninth season with The Shakespeare Theatre. His company credits include last season’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens, and The Taming of the Shrew, among many others. Mr. Cromer is a resident actor with the Human Race Theatre, a 30-year professor of acting for Wright State University, and a certified Stage Combat teacher.
After directing last season’s opener, The Merchant of Venice, Robert Cuccioli returns to the STNJ stage for his 11th season as Marcus Andronicus. Mr. Cuccioli earned a Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the Broadway production of Jekyll & Hyde. His additional Broadway credits include Les Misérables and Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.
Benjamin Eakeley returns to The Shakespeare Theatre for his fourth season as Saturninus. His company credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Illyria, Love’s Labour’s Lost, and Carnival!. Mr. Eakeley’s Broadway credits include She Loves Me, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
Vanessa Morosco will play the Goth Queen Tamora as she returns for her second season with The Shakespeare Theatre. Her company credits include last season’s What the Butler Saw opposite her husband Peter Simon Hilton, as well as the Outdoor Stage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has performed regionally with the Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Florida Studio Theater, and Fulton Theater.
As Lucius, Clark Scott Carmichael returns for his 15th season with The Shakespeare Theatre. His company credits include Coriolanus, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Henry VIII, and A Christmas Carol, among many others. His film and television credits include Ocean’s 8,The Kindergarten Teacher, Pose, and Boardwalk Empire.
After appearing in last season’s Shakespeare in Love, Quentin McCuiston returns for his fifth season in the role of Chiron. His other company credits include Pericles, Oliver Twist, and Timon of Athens. He has performed regionally with Zephyr Repertory Theatre, Wallis Knot, Carolinian Shakespeare Festival, and Red Clay Theatre.
Making her STNJ Main Stage debut is Fiona Robberson in the role of Lavinia. Ms. Robberson is now attending the Julliard School in New York. Her regional credits include Dallas Theatre Center, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and Undermain Theatre.
In his first season with The Shakespeare Theatre, Chris White will play the role of Aaron the Moor. He has performed with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, Theatre at Monmouth, and New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, where he performed in Ruddigore and as the title role in The Mikado.
Torsten Johnson will play Demetrius in his first season with The Shakespeare Theatre. His regional credits include the Guthrie Theater, The Acting Company, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Interlochen Shakespeare Festival, and Parallel 45.
Rounding out the cast are Oliver Archibald, Elizabeth Colwell, AJ DeAugustine,Courtney McGowan, Jackson Knight Pierce, Braden Spear, and Kyle Walton.
Brian B. Crowe is in his 23rd season with The Shakespeare Theatre, where he currently serves as Director of Education and one of the company’s resident directors. His directing credits include The Bungler, Coriolanus (named one of the Star-Ledger’s Top 10 Productions of 2016), Pericles, Love’s Labour’s Lost (2004), Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, and Timon of Athens on the Main Stage, among many others; Love’s Labour’s Lost (2015), The Learned Ladies, and The Taming of the Shrew on the Outdoor Stage; and the 1999 world premiere of his original script, Wonderland (... And What Was Found There) on the Other Stage. He has also directed over 20 productions of Shakespeare LIVE!, including the 2018 touring production of The Comedy of Errors. Mr. Crowe received BFA degrees in directing and acting from Wright State University, and was a Fellow at the 2000 International Salzburg Shakespeare Seminar.
Titus Andronicus’s visual landscape will be brought to life by the creative talents of Scenic Designer Dick Block, Lighting Designer Andrew Hungerford, Costume Designer Yao Chen, Sound Designer Karin Graybash, and Fight Director Rick Sordelet. The Production Stage Manager is Kathy Snyder and the Assistant Stage Manager is Jackie Mariani.
Single tickets for Titus Andronicus begin at $29 for preview performances and begin at $49 for regular performances. Prices range from $29 to $69. The Theatre is proud to bring back its successful 30 UNDER 30 program for the 2018 season. Patrons aged 30 and under can purchase tickets for only $30 with a valid ID, subject to availability. For tickets, patrons can call the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey offers various cost-saving opportunities, including $15 student rush tickets, which are available 30 minutes prior to each performance with a valid student ID, as well as a limited number of Pay What You Cantickets for every performance on a first come, first serve basis. Season Memberships are also available and provide significant cost savings throughout the year.
Patrons canpurchase tickets at The F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre located at 36 Madison Avenue in Madison by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by going online at www.ShakespeareNJ.org.
