JULIUS CAESAR – TSP

Director’s Note:

On the Ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated; the catalyst that removed democracy from the face of the earth for 2,000 years until some folks off the east coast of North America threw tea in the harbor. The freedoms and institutions we have grown up with, that we have inherited from the struggle of many generations of ancestors, can be swept away in an instant. How fragile is democracy? Government? Freedom? Peace?

Caesar reaches us in three ways: as an historical account, as Shakespeare’s reaction to early 17th century British politics, and as a testament to the delicacy of our own political reality. Tonight, you will see a Julius Caesar unlike any other. Set in a post-apocolyptic Rome, we hope that you will find tonight’s characters not unlike many of our own modern political figures. These people are soldiers, spouses, parents and charismatic leaders all trying to recover a country from the latest governmental fall. In an effort to appeal to a younger crowd, and to bring our modern sensibilities to the piece, we have updated everything about the play to reflect our modern society and the equal footing that we have been striving for as a nation in recent years. This choice has allowed us to make casting and artistic choices that stray far from the norm while illuminating a deeper aspect of Shakespeare’s text.

Caesar resonates like no other in the age of ‘fake news,’ by forcing us all to look deeper and judge slower. It reminds us of the necessity to question our own truths and motives, and those of our governmental leaders. What side of history will we all stand on and who will be the one to tell that history? Is Caesar truly a tyrant ready to hatch, or does Brutus fall victim to the envious voice of power and persuasion. Is human history doomed to repeat itself? Are the fates against us or do we have the power to learn from the past and truly enact change for the future. Julius Caesar unearths the very soul of human society: pride and power blanketed under the disguise idealism.

On behalf of the entire production and artistic team, let me be the first to welcome you to the Anniston Performing Arts Center as we begin this new endeavor to bring the bard back to Anniston. I cannot express how much it means to us that you have chosen to be here tonight, and we hope you will make it a family tradition for years to come!

 

Watch full show here https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Lo4G5hrsL2eaGKQdioORpkrYn4RU-m-H