The Rude Mechanicals
present
Thomas Kyd's

The Spanish Tragedy

directed by Charlene V. Smith

January 16-31, 2009

One of the most popular plays of the Elizabethan era, The Spanish Tragedy tells the story of a wronged father's quest for justice for his murdered son. Passion and violence are dramatically juxtaposed against a backdrop of political intrigue in the court of Spain.

The Spanish Tragedy contains violence and may not be suitable for children of all ages.

Cast
Crew
Reviews
Synopsis
Support the Production
Press Photos

Cast

Production Team

Producer: Joshua Engel
Director: Charlene V. Smith
Stage Manager: Nell Codner
Set Designer: Patrick Mullen
Costume Designer: Heather Jackson
Fight Director: Casey Kaleba
Sound Designer: Donald Cook
Props Master: Elise Berg
Graphic Designer: Ahn Tran
Photography: Kevin Hollenbeck

Press

" ‘Much Ado About Nothing" with an all female cast. "Oedipus" set in a 1980s Wall Street boardroom. The Tempest morphed into a Celtic musical. These may seem like unusual – if not crude – adaptations. For the Laurel-based theater troupe Rude Mechanicals, it is all part of the act. Since forming in 1999, the group – aptly nicknamed ‘the Rudes' – has a reputation for its creative, and sometimes controversial, adaptations of classical favorites."
-- Read more about the Rude Mechanicals in the Laurel Gazette

"Beautiful, strange, and violent, "The Spanish Tragedy" is a feast of revenge.
... Performed in the round, with almost nothing by way of costume or set, the Rude Mechanicals' production is essentially two hours of skillfully rhymed drama about death, grief and conspiracy performed in street clothes, and it is therefore more dependent on the strength of its actors than many productions. The troupe - anchored by David Dubov as the aggrieved Hieronimo and Brian Harrington Moors as the nefarious Lorenzo - meets the challenge, delivering the antique verses with skill."
--Tim Follos, Express Night Out

Synopsis

Andrea, a Spanish courtier, has been killed in battle by Balthazar, Prince of Portugal. During his lifetime he was lover of Bel-Imperia, daughter of the Duke of Castile. When Andrea’s ghost appears before Pluto to be apportioned its proper place in the afterlife, Pluto permits the ghost, accompanied by the spirit of Revenge, to return to earth to see vengeance wrecked on his slayer.

Andrea’s slayer falls prisoner to Lorenzo, Bel-Imperia’s brother and to Horatio, son of Hieronimo, Knight-Marshal of Spain. The King awards the ransom to Horatio and the custody of the royal prisoner to Lorenzo. In the Duke’s household, Balthazar inevitably falls in love with Bel-Imperia, and the royal family conceives the idea that a marriage between these two would unite the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal.

Bel-Imperia, however, has secretly taken Horatio for her lover. Lorenzo, keen to forward Balthazar’s suit, bribes Bel-Imperia’s servant to betray her meeting with Horatio. Lorenzo and Balthazar with their servants murder Horatio and imprison Bel-Imperia so that she cannot spread the truth.

Hieronimo finds his son’s body and vows to discover the murderers. When Hieronimo is unable to achieve justice through lawful means, he turns to revenge.

adapted from theatrehistory.com

Support the Production

The Spanish Tragedy was written sometime in the 1580s and was enormously successful in its time. Scholars consider it the first great revenge tragedy of the Elizabethan theatre.

At the opening of the play, life is going pretty well for Hieronimo, Knight-Marshall of Spain. He is one of the highest civil servants in the realm, well-liked and respected by the citizens and the nobility. His son, Horatio, has just come home from the war in glory, having captured the Prince of Portugal. But everything falls apart when Hieronimo discovers his son murdered in his own garden. As he searches for the murderers, Hieronimo must grapple with the pain of providing justice to others all the while seeing it denied to himself.

The Spanish Tragedy marked the birth of a new genre. Its existence made possible all other Elizabethan revenge tragedies, such as Titus Andronicus, The Revenger’s Tragedy, and Shakespeare’s masterpiece Hamlet. Its influence extends to present day, in violent revenge films such as Sin City and Kill Bill.  Despite its impact on Elizabethan drama, Kyd’s play is little seen today, and I am excited to bring it before your eyes.

Please consider supporting this production by making a donation, earmarked for The Spanish Tragedy. As a 501(c)(3) organization, all donations to the Rude Mechanicals are tax-deductible. Your donation will help create the kind of superb, cutting-edge classical theater you won't find anywhere else. Your support is strongly needed. The Rude Mechanicals are currently without a theatrical home, and as a result rehearsal and performance rental costs have increased dramatically this season.

Any amount is appreciated, and the Rudes recognize the following levels of sponsorship:

You can donate through Amazon’s Honor System, Paypal or by sending a check to The Rude Mechanicals, 15825 Deer Creek Court, Laurel, MD 20707.
Visit http://www.rudemechanicals.com/donations/ for more information.

Press Photos

by Kevin Hollenbeck

click for high-res versions

	"Time is the author both of truth and right, And time will bring this treachery to light." Jaki Demarest as Revenge
	An envoy from Portugal arrives in the Court of Spain. The King of Spain (Michael J. Galizia), Don Cyprian, the Duke of Castile (Bill Jones) and Hieronimo, the Knight-Marshal (David Dubov) greet the Portuguese Ambassador (Mara McKann) and Don Balthazar, the Prince of Portugal (Joshua Engel).
	"The trespass that my father made in peace Is now controlled by fortune of the wars; And cards once dealt, it boots not ask why so. " Don Balthazar, Prince of Portugal is a captive of war. Portuguese Ambassador (Mara McKann), Balthazar (Joshua Engel), Hieronimo (David Dubov), King of Spain (Michael J. Galizia), Don Cyprian (Bill Jones)
	"Meanwhile live thou, though not in liberty, Yet free from bearing any servile yoke; For in our hearing thy deserts were great, And in our sight thyself art gracious." The King of Spain greets the Prince of Portugal courteously. Portuguese Ambassador (Mara McKann), Balthazar (Joshua Engel), Hieronimo (David Dubov), King of Spain (Michael J. Galizia), Don Cyprian (Bill Jones)
	"The more thou sit'st within these leafy bowers, The more will Flora deck it with her flowers." Bel-imperia (Maureen Shanahan) and Horatio (J. Peter Langsdorf) share a tender moment, unaware that they are being watched by Balthazar (Joshua Engel), Revenge (Jaki Demarest) and the Ghost of Don Andrea (Donald Cook).
	"Give me a kiss, I'll countercheck thy kiss." Bel-imperia (Maureen Shanahan) and Horatio (J. Peter Langsdorf)
	"Ay me most wretched, that have lost my joy In leesing my Horatio, my sweet boy!" Isabella (Rachel Duda) and Hieronimo (David Dubov) discover their murdered son Horatio (J. Peter Langsdorf).
	"Strike, and strike home, where wrong is offered thee." Hieronimo (David Dubov), watched over by Revenge (Jaki Demarest), contemplates how to gain justice for the death of his son.
	"I am the next, the nearest, last of all." Watched by the Ghost of Don Andrea (Donald Cook) and Revenge (Jaki Demarest), the King (Michael J. Galizia) laments the events in Spain.