This October, audiences will experience Shakespeare's Julius Caesar as they never have before. Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Maryland's premier classics company, will present Julius Caesar with a new and highly imaginative version that puts both audience and actors on the move.
The Chesapeake Shakespeare Company will bring Julius Caesar outdoors to the grounds of the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park, October 8-November 1, 2009. On, in and around the massive, haunt
Ed Stone ruins and pillars of the PFI, audience members will join Brutus, Cassius and the other conspirators as they plot Caesar's assassination in Shakespeare's fast-paced, bloody tragedy.
Last year's CSC production of Macbeth was performed in the same fashion and almost all performances sold out. Audiences were thrilled by the experience and demanded more productions like it.
Audiences and actors will travel throughout the Ruins for an exciting, theatrical adventure. Instead of building a stage and seating the audience in a conventional way, the play will be performed in various locations in and around the Ruins. In this way, the Ruins themselves become the stage.
One moment the audience will be seated, and at the next they'll be on foot with the actors, peeking through a window, or peering up to a balcony. And while there will be opportunities to sit, much of the time the audience will be mobile, so patrons are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes and dress in layers appropriate to the weather.
Director and CSC Company Member Frank B. Moorman says, "The look and feel for this production of Julius Caesar is similar to that of Scorcese's film Gangs of New York, Putting the action into a mid-19th-century underworld context brings it into the same time that the Patapsco Female Institute was actually a school. This progressive and environmental production of Julius Caesar in the PFI ruins will also allow us to create a 'surround-sound' experience for the audience that will immerse them in the edginess of the story."
Paranormal experts and psychics alike have visited the Ruins in effort to meet Annie Van Derlot, a former student of the Institute, who died of pneumonia her first winter at school. Although no member of the CSC staff has met Ms. Van Derlot, patrons and actors moving through her school at night during this Halloween season might encourage her to make an appearance during Julius Caesar. With century-old rumors that the Ruins are haunted, patrons are encouraged to bring flashlights for their own comfort and security.
Tickets for Julius Caesar can be purchased online at
www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com, by calling 866.811.4111 or immediately prior to the performance at the box office. Please note that due to limited capacity, patrons are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance. Groups of 10 or more, please call 410.313.8874. For general information, call the CSC offices at 410.313.8874. (07/30/09)
Pictures are available under the Media link at www.chesapeakeshakespeare.com.
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