Lucrece. Friargate Theatre, Lower Friargate, York.
Sunday April 23 @ 2.30pm and 6pm and Monday April 24 @ 6pm
York Shakespeare Project is delighted to present LUCRECE , a semi staged version of Shakespeare’s early narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece. As part of YSP’s ambition to present all the works of Shakespeare in York, its original production was set to play at The Mansion House in April 2020, as a culminating feature of then YSP Chair, Janet Looker’s year as Lord Mayor.
Postponed because of the pandemic, it is now presented over three performances beginning on Shakespeare’s birthday, 23rd April, as part of the 2023 York International Shakespeare Festival.
By the time of the poem’s publication in 1594, Shakespeare had already written the three parts of Henry VI, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Richard III (which YSP is also staging as part of this year’s YISF). When an outbreak of the plague caused a Tudor lockdown with the London theatres closed, Shakespeare turned to poetry, exploring brilliantly the theme of misplaced desire in Venus and Adonis and again in Lucrece (as it was titled on the original frontispiece). Extremely successful in his lifetime, these poems established him as a poet but are rarely heard today.
As his plays are celebrated for giving extraordinary life to their characters and stories so he charts the inner worlds and challenges of the characters in The Rape of Lucrece. He gives voice to the unspeakable, his writing taking his audience to the heart of the matter. A voice is heard and actions will have consequences. In verse both gripping and heartfelt, he depicts an action resonating beyond Lucrece herself as she faces life changing questions. How do you speak to power? To whom do you complain?
LUCRECE speaks to the “me too” generation about situations and decisions that touch lives so deeply.
This is a rare opportunity to experience Shakespeare’s writing at it most poignant and immediate.
The production marks a directorial debut for Elizabeth Elsworth, but she has been a familiar face in many a YSP production, notably playing Katherine in Henry VIII and Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra.
Performances will take place at Friargate Theatre at 2.30.pm and 6.pm on Sunday April 23 and at 6.pm on Monday April 24.
Tickets available online: www.ticketsource.co.uk/ridinglights or from the Box Office 01904 655317.