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Breakdown
November 21, 2016: First day of rep rehearsal
January 10-29, 2017: Rep Tech
Tour January 31-April 2, 2017: Tour (AZ, MO, MD, Upstate NY and NYC run at New Victory Theater
JULIUS CAESAR
By William Shakespeare
Director’s Note: This Julius Caesar is a companion to Marcus Gardley’s new play: X. All actors will also play roles in X, and this production will strive to be that companion by connecting the violence and idealism of Ancient Rome, Elizabethan London, and today’s corridors of power. The ten actor ensemble will bring to life the full range of humanity, with each and every actor taking roles as spirits, soldiers, and killers.
Seeking:
BRUTUS + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man, 20s to 40s. Politician, aristocrat, stoic philosopher, and general; Brutus is an idealist caught between his friendship, his political ideals, and his ambition.
JULIUS CAESAR + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man, 40s to 60s. An aging solider and charismatic leader, Caesar is proud and arrogant in the knowledge of his own power. Yet age and illness remind him that his death is inevitable, although that knowledge won’t stop him from defying it with every breath.
CASSIUS + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man, 20s to 40s. A skilled manipulator and pragmatic politician, Cassius’ political ideals have no room for morality and can be hard to distinguish from self-interest, but that doesn’t make them any less idealistic. He is by no means weak, but he is a man who never attacks a problem hear on but instead strikes from angles and shadows. He is not a man that we like, but as he never tries to conceal who he is, we come to trust his opinion and intellect despite our dislike.
CASCA + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man, 20s to 40s. Storyteller and voyeur, Casca is an aristocrat who takes part in politics for the drama and the scandal. He lets himself be drawn into the thick of things because he hungers for attention, recognition, and the sight of something new.
OCTAVIUS + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man, 20s to 40s. A tyrant in the making, this brilliant young man is cold and driven, Octavius doesn’t care about the human cost but only the long game and the fruits of victory.
MARK ANTONY + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man/woman (Flexible), 20s to 40s. Bon vivant, solider, and killer; Antony lives in his body and is driven not by intellect but by instinct and passion. Charismatic, beautiful, and deadly.
CALPURNIA. + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man/woman (Flexible), 20s to 40s. A woman driven to the point of hysteria by dreams of death and pain, Calpurnia is a caring wife for a husband constantly at war, she hasn’t slept in weeks and is at the edge of her wits. Her strength and decisive need emerges in her desperation.
PORTIA + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Woman, 20 to 40s. A caring woman with a spine of steel, Portia is a pragmatist torn between her desire to honor her husbands strength and independence and her desire to protect him from both the world and himself.
SOOTHSAYER / POET / + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Man/woman (Flexible), 20s to 40s. A witness, part mad monk and part punk rock singer, the Soothsayer sees the truth of the gears beneath the world’s facade and he struggles to express it. Even when no one will listen.
SINGER + others (soldiers, conspirators, etc)
Woman. The Soothsayer’s other half, the voice of fate and history that hangs over this story. She observes, comments, and in the end mourns each bloody act.
_______
X
by Marcus Gardley
Seeking
MALCOLM X
Male, 30s-40s; magnetic leader, brilliant and articulate, powerful orator.
BOOTBLACK/ELIJAH
Male, 40s-older than time; Bootblack: a sage and soothsayer; Elijah: a leader; measured, calculating and thoughtful.
PHILBERT
Male, 20-40s; Malcolm X’s and a follower of Elijah; an accountant, willfully ignorant.
MUHAMMAD I
Male, 20-40s; Elijah's son and head of security, the muscle; hot-headed and mercurial
LOUIS X
Male, 20s-40; opportunistic and persuasive, clever and verbally dexterous.
BROTHER EUGENE X
Male, NYPD informant; full of heart a with a great sense of humor.
FBI AGENT
Man or Woman; 20-30s; blue-chip all American, cruel demeanor, soft interior.
LORRAINE
Female, 20-40; member of the Nation of Islam; quiet strength, patient and kind. May sing/chat
BETTY SHABAZZ
Female, 30s; Malcolm X’s Wife, honorable and full of strength, budding sense of humor, dutiful.
SINGER:
Female. Must be capable of singing a cappella, chanting in Arabic and singing 40s/50s/60s standards.
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