Event

The New Shakespearience Presents Julius Caesar

Coming in October, Bob Downing performs scenes from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and discusses what the play means to him--and our times.

This interactive, one-person show plunges deep into the guts of a great political tragedy and its enduring relevance.

"The New Shakespearience Presents Julius Caesar" is a 90-minute performance combining an original monologue about Shakespeare's play with scenes from the actual play. The audience takes a key role in the show by voicing the lines--projected onto a screen--of the Roman mob. The energy in the room reaches a fever pitch during Mark Antony's funeral speech, as the audience jeers, sobs, and roars with rage at Antony's rhetorical masterpiece. The result is funny, provocative, and "the first time I've ever enjoyed Shakespeare", according to some audience members.

Writer-performer Bob Downing draws from his experience as a union organizer to answer the question, "just how DO you organize a political conspiracy, anyway?" He explains the strategies Cassius uses to recruit Brutus into the conspiracy, and how he finally fails to save Rome. The clash of political ideas comes to life on stage: republicanism vs. monarchy, principle vs. loyalty, and justice vs. ambition.

"The New Shakespearience Presents Julius Caesar" is completely unique: a mixture of stand-up comedy, ancient history lesson, TED talk on the theory and practice of organizing, and gripping scenes from a great Roman tragedy. You don't want to miss it!