With today’s performance of Titus Andronicus I decided to stand as a groundling against the stage at the absolute front of the theater. While I didn’t originally think that standing in this position would alter my perception of this performance any more than how seat position in general changes the feel of a performance, I have to say that standing as a groundling adds a greater interactive feel to the production. I think this becomes especially true for people huddled against the stage.
Throughout this trip we have learned how seating can change what an audience member sees on the stage. After the performance of Henry IV I we found out that other sections of the audience could not see the giant crucifix that we could identify as a part of the set. And with the Roaring Girl we found out how the cast calls out members of the audience from the first two rows with greater intimacy. However, I have never felt so immersed in a performance as I did in Titus Andronicus this afternoon (albeit a tad disturbing).
During the performance, the actors came into the groundling area on platforms and to accommodate for these immense podiums our area had to shift and move with the actors. I think this relates to a common theme that many of the actors have spoken about and Indira Varma mentioned in our after performance talk. She explained that acting at the Globe is like “doing it with the people not to the people.” During one scene that I experienced this, Steffan Donnelly walks through the groundling area acting as a clown with two pigeons. Interacting with us at our level, by hitting people with the pigeons and nudging them (myself included), made me feel like I was a part of the performance itself not just a spectator. The opening scene created this same effect as Saturninus and Bassianus stood amongst the groundlings and spoke to us as the Roman people.
Additionally our responses to the flying water and blood in this “splash zone” became just as much a part of the scene as the throwing of it did. People not only watched the actors acting, but the groundlings reacting. Standing as a groundling allowed me to see the gore in more detail and react to the actors in a greater way, becoming a part of the performance myself. While the idea of standing for a three hour performance did not originally entice me, I have to say that the intimate and immersed feeling that accompanies the groundling position changes the feel of the play and transcends the audience member role within a production.