Justice - Marcus Hogan

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Résumé :
The epic series prequel to Romeo & Juliet continues. Two houses will clash. One patriarch will fall. The year is 1451. French newlyweds Armand & Ilaria de Capulet (recently announced leaders of their powerful faction in Lyon) were completing a marriage tour and arrived in the outskirts of Verona to finally greet his sister Aurelie and husband Sabatino Cortellani. But before arriving at their sprawling estate in the northern hills, taken completely by surprise, Armand and Ilaria clashed with the Cortellani's closest neighbor. His name is Onorato Montecchi (Romeo's uncle), a mercenary warlord known as the Black Wolf of Verona. Along with his fiery wife Esmeralda, both are known to all as the primo Don and prima Donna of Verona's most powerful faction. Before sunset on that first day, Onorato's brother (Romeo's father) arrived at the Cortellani estate to issue a challenge to Armand to meet Onorato in a winner-takes-all, duel to the death. With no chance to avoid it, the young French Chevalier has accepted the challenge, nominating to meet at sunrise the next day in Verona's ancient arena. Book 3 in our gripping series opens upon that fateful morning. Armand departs in the pre-dawn darkness with a grim entourage to meet his fate. It will be the first time he enters through the gates of Verona and the terms of his engagement seem clear. Once the combat begins, no quarter may be asked, none will be given. The grim appointment must leave just one of two alive. The premiere Sieur of Capulet will face the primo Don of Montecchi and the lives of all in both factions will be altered forever. Within just one chapter a result is revealed. Yet what follows the encounter unleashes a riot as bedlam greets chaos on the streets of Verona. The clash between the factions expands as screams for vengeance and cries for justice ring out through the citadel....

Biographie:
I conceived this project in Boston during the summer of '92 when I was producing my first Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet). It was staged at the Huntington Theatre Studio and sold out before we opened. That was when the notion of a prequel was born that would reveal how the famous families came to be at each other's throats and how the associations between so many characters were first formed. From the very start (long before 'Game of Thrones' existed) it was also conceived as a tale of how the three (not just two) formidable players from the original tale (Capulet, Montecchi & Paris) would become embroiled in a battle for dominance. I also knew at some point, as the source material suggests, that an alliance between two must also be on the cards.Started at the end of the pandemic, the full story frame for CAPULET (all 6 books) was written over 4 years (writing 7 hours a day / 7 days a week - give or take just 5 or 6 days) and almost exclusively at Brisbane Square Library in Australia. The finishing process of polishing and proofing all (completed part-time after my nest egg for funding had finally been exhausted) took me another year.And so ... it was done.For the trivial record, my first experience performing was in the primary school choir which led me to playing the guitar and a life long association with music. My first experience with Shakespeare however was as a punishment in my last year of high school. I was given 'detention' for fighting (a bully was harassing a friend and though I'm no hero I intervened). The English Mistress had caught us locked together in (less than mortal) combat and during my detention 'made me' memorize the 'quality of mercy' monologue from The Merchant of Venice. It had to be 'word perfect' to avoid another stay. I recited it. She told me it wasn't word perfect, but said I was 'good' and would 'let me off' if I agreed to audition for the play. I was shy, but didn't want another detention, so I did audition and miraculously offered the lead.That led me to a BA in Drama at the University of Queensland. UQ led to a BFA in Acting at Cornish College in the USA which led to specialized study at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NY (closed after 9/11) and finally an MFA in Directing at Boston University. Along the way I practised equestrian skills, martial arts and ballet (classical & jazz), became a professional fight choreographer and specialised in directing classics. Within a year of returning to Australia I founded the Society of Australian Fight Directors and the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory. Fast forward 25 years and I embarked upon this project.I hope their tale moves you. I found CAPULET very moving to write.Forever YoursMarcus Hogan...

Sommaire:
I conceived this project in Boston during the summer of '92 when I was producing my first Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet). It was staged at the Huntington Theatre Studio and sold out before we opened. That was when the notion of a prequel was born that would reveal how the famous families came to be at each other's throats and how the associations between so many characters were first formed. From the very start (long before 'Game of Thrones' existed) it was also conceived as a tale of how the three (not just two) formidable players from the original tale (Capulet, Montecchi & Paris) would become embroiled in a battle for dominance. I also knew at some point, as the source material suggests, that an alliance between two must also be on the cards.Started at the end of the pandemic, the full story frame for CAPULET (all 6 books) was written over 4 years (writing 7 hours a day / 7 days a week - give or take just 5 or 6 days) and almost exclusively at Brisbane Square Library in Australia. The finishing process of polishing and proofing all (completed part-time after my nest egg for funding had finally been exhausted) took me another year.And so ... it was done.For the trivial record, my first experience performing was in the primary school choir which led me to playing the guitar and a life long association with music. My first experience with Shakespeare however was as a punishment in my last year of high school. I was given 'detention' for fighting (a bully was harassing a friend and though I'm no hero I intervened). The English Mistress had caught us locked together in (less than mortal) combat and during my detention 'made me' memorize the 'quality of mercy' monologue from The Merchant of Venice. It had to be 'word perfect' to avoid another stay. I recited it. She told me it wasn't word perfect, but said I was 'good' and would 'let me off' if I agreed to audition for the play. I was shy, but didn't want another detention, so I did audition and miraculously offered the lead.That led me to a BA in Drama at the University of Queensland. UQ led to a BFA in Acting at Cornish College in the USA which led to specialized study at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NY (closed after 9/11) and finally an MFA in Directing at Boston University. Along the way I practised equestrian skills, martial arts and ballet (classical & jazz), became a professional fight choreographer and specialised in directing classics. Within a year of returning to Australia I founded the Society of Australian Fight Directors and the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory. Fast forward 25 years and I embarked upon this project.I hope their tale moves you. I found CAPULET very moving to write.Forever YoursMarcus Hogan...