Royal Shakespeare Company's JULIUS CAESAR Comes to Columbus, Beginning 5/1

After an April premiere in New York City, the actors, musicians, and theatre artists from the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will come to Columbus to perform an exclusive engagement of its production of Julius Caesar. Interpreted with a new twist by the RSC's new artistic director Gregory Doran, the production is set in present-day Africa with a cast of highly acclaimed, black British actors and live, contemporary West African music composed for the show by Akintayo Akinbode. The production opened to five-star reviews in the UK last year, going on to tour the UK and perform in Moscow before its two upcoming U.S. engagements.

Ohio State and CAPA present the Royal Shakespeare Company's Julius Caesar at the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St.) on Wednesday, May 1, at 7:30 pm; Thursday, May 2, at 8 pm; Friday, May 3, at 8 pm; Saturday, May 4, at 8 pm; and Sunday, May 5, at 2 pm. Tickets are $38-$68 at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.

Young people aged 13-25 may purchase $5 PNC Arts Alive All Access tickets while available. For more information, visit GoFor5.com.

This innovative production of Shakespeare's classic political tale tells the story of the conspiracy against Caesar, his assassination, and the defeat of his conspirators. It's a fast-moving thriller about a struggle for democracy, and the story about two men united by an explosive act of political violence.

"One of the inspirations behind setting Julius Caesar in Africa was discovering the Robben Island Shakespeare and that Nelson Mandela had chosen to autograph lines from the play asserting that it spoke in a particular way to his continent," explained Doran, referring to South Africa's notorious Apartheid-era prison where inmates, including Mandela, secretly read Shakespeare. "It also struck me that there must be some reason why Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania, had translated the play into Swahili. The actor John Kani put it most succinctly when he told me that Julius Caesar was quite simply 'Shakespeare's Africa play.'"

This highly praised production of Julius Caesar comes to central Ohio as part of a unique collaboration between The Ohio State University and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The two organizations recently expanded their ongoing international relationship, with the goal of bringing more RSC productions to the US. CAPA is partnering with Ohio State to produce the show in Columbus.

"As we continue to work to make the study and teaching of Shakespeare a key priority at Ohio State, we are proud to welcome this powerful production of Julius Caesar to our city," said Joseph E. Steinmetz, executive dean and vice provost, College of Arts and Sciences. "We're delighted to be working closely with CAPA and other professional arts organizations to champion the arts in Columbus, and bring the visionary talent of the RSC to the broader local community."

The Royal Shakespeare Company in America is presented in collaboration with The Ohio State University.

www.capa.com

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