'Tis Pity She's a Whore 7 Towers Theatre Company Produced site specifically at the Cathedral of Junk Written by John Ford Directed by Christina Gutierrez Stage Management by Bryan Russell Scenic Design by Aaron Black Costume Design by Sally Zeigler Lighting Design by Christina Gutierrez Dramaturgy by Eleanor Owicki Photo Credits: Christopher Loveless
‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore is a play that feels shockingly modern. Ford’s cynical treatment of religion, his willingness to explore taboos, to question traditional morality and to comment on gender roles, all result in a play that brings the late Renaissance into conversation with the morals, values, and aesthetics of the twenty-first century. 7 Towers' post-apocalyptic vision of ‘Tis Pity was a reflection of this textual hyper-modernity, as well as my solution to the difference between Renaissance and contemporary views of incest. Although we tend to think of incest in relation to psychological or sexual disorders, Ford’s audiences would have read Annabella and Giovanni’s relationship in terms of its disruption to Parma as a whole. Textually, this is a group of people deeply and desperately invested in their own survival. As such, notions of communal concern and social engineering were central to my conceptualization of this production. Florio sells his young (and fertile) daughter to the highest bidder out of concern for the community around him. Annabella and Giovanni hide their love not to avoid judgment, but for fear of extreme consequences. Similarly, Ford’s version of Parma is rife with the religious fundamentalism and strict hierarchies which humans tend to turn to in times of deep crisis. The production was staged site-specifically at a 3 story high art installation known as the Cathedral of Junk in Austin, Texas. In our production, the installation became a refugee camp, a ruined city, and, ultimately, a reminder of how dangerous it is to legislate morality.