Interview: hal evans and Tracy Hults of Intrepid Fringe Talk the Challenges and Relevance of JULIUS CAESAR

Through February 6th, Intrepid Fringe is staging the classic Shakespearean tragedy JULIUS CAESAR - with a twist. Set in the year 4000 CE in a galaxy far away, the play, written with only two small speaking roles for women, has been partially gender swapped, with six women now commanding lead roles. Today Broadwayworld.com talks to the co-owners of Intrepid Fringe hal evans (also JULIUS CAESAR's director) and Tracy Hults about the challenges and the relevance of JULIUS CAESAR and what happens when you gender swap one of Shakespeare's most manly of plays.

BroadwayWorld: Let's start at the beginning - why did Intrepid Fringe decide to mount a production of JULIUS CAESAR?

hal evans: It's a timely play in any election cycle because it examines the motivations of people who seek power. This production explores what differences women bring to bear on the political process. Shakespeare's plays are timeless because his characters demonstrate every facet of human nature. Harold Bloom's book title hits it on the head, Shakespeare: The Inventor of the Human.

Also, almost every sophomore in the state of Texas studies this play. "Plays are meant to be experienced, not read." [Stoppard] We hope that many students and educators will enhance their understanding and discussions by attending.

BroadwayWorld: You guys have taken a 400-year-old play about a 2,000-year-old assassination and set it in the future in a galaxy far away. How does this setting expand the play?

hal evans: This setting frees the imagination to reconsider the play's themes and characters' motivations. Because we wanted to test the play's veracity by casting women in all leading roles, the futuristic setting became necessary to set a time when women attain a greater share of power in leadership. (We hope it's not that distant a future.)

BroadwayWorld: Speaking of which, JULIUS CAESAR is generally considered one of Shakespeare's most "masculine" plays -- it's action-driven, aggressive, violent. How do the dynamics change with women commanding the lead roles? Do they change at all?

hal evans: I began this conceptualization with much the same question. I have observed the growing number of women in CEO positions and political power over the past three decades, and my concern increases that women might simply repeat the behaviors and choices men have made. It will not improve humanity's situation if women assume the mantle and carry it as poorly as men have done. My hope is that uniquely female perspectives and insights might deliver the world from our warring, possession-staking past. My fear is that in order to win elections, women will be expected to stay the course on defense-spending and similarly chauvinistic (even xenophobic) ways of thinking.

An example I shared in rehearsal with the cast is the film THELMA AND LOUISE - great actors, interesting script, but woefully masculine in its storyline. It might as well have been a buddy flick with two guys. There was nothing new or insightful from the feminine point of view. Rather, it struck me as an amalgamated remake of male-dominated stories. I've seen Butch and Sundance go over the cliff already.

Our production does not alter the text or narrative structure of JULIUS CAESAR. (No one can improve on Shakespeare!) Because the female leads follow the same plot and character developments as males must, ours becomes a cautionary tale- beware not only the ides of March but also a future without newly envisioned definitions of power and mutual responsibility for the common good.

BroadwayWorld: Does it highlight things not usually seen or emphasized in a production of JULIUS CAESAR?

hal evans: We expected to find nuances of meaning that would provide 'A-ha!" moments with the gender swap. I don't think we expected so many. For one thing, it has helped us to find the humor in the play that is so often missing. Also, hearing the famous oratories delivered from the mouths of women opens the ear to myriad subtleties in the text, subtleties that have too long been bulldozed under droning baritone voices evoking "noble Romans."

Tracy Hults: There are so many moments when the gender switch creates twists that expose how men and women behave in today's world. Some of them are downright funny. The audience will smile or even chuckle at times. Mostly, I think that seeing women make the same mistakes in these traditionally male roles is eye-opening. Motives and choices take on new clarity. The audience sees for themselves what political animals these characters really are.

BroadwayWorld: What are the benefits of non-traditional casting in general?

hal evans: This is it, really, discovering freshness in a 400-year old script. Of course, this particular play, which examines the values of freedom and democracy, is made even more relevant with females in the lead because of Hillary Clinton's candidacy for President.

Tracy Hults: And as actors, it provides great possibilities to explore and grow. The five women in the leads will probably never have this opportunity again. Each of us has discovered facets within ourselves that now shine in the light of this experience as actors.

hal evans: Parallel to that, the six of us males and one female who play multiple roles have enjoyed stretching ourselves to create and sustain the supporting characters who undergird the story. Audiences seem especially intrigued with Portia and Calpurnia as played by males.

BroadwayWorld: You've clearly had a lot of experience with Shakespeare -- are there any challenges specific to directing JULIUS CAESAR?

hal evans: Shakespeare's plays are my favorite. I've now directed more than 100 productions of his plays. When Tracy and I went to Pittsburgh for a Steelers game, I wanted to peruse the Shakespeare stacks at the Carnegie Library. We discovered that my personal library is more extensive! She now insists that I shed an old volume before I add a new one.

One fun aspect in directing JULIUS CAESAR has been to organize the chaos of the scenes wherein Brutus and Antony speak to the citizens. Always with this script, there is the challenge of how to handle the stabbing of Caesar, how to remove the corpse, what to do with the battle scenes so that the actors are not simply banging swords. I think we've addressed these issues in creative ways that captivate the audiences' imagination.

BroadwayWorld: Have you adapted JULIUS CAESAR at all? Pronouns, excising dialogue, etc.

hal evans: I will never alter his language, pronouns included. Who is to say how pronouns will function in 4000 CE? Gender-based language might be very different. After all, "pretty" once referred to boys and "handsome" to women ...

The most difficult thing for me is trimming dialogue out of his script. I want to keep every syllable, but audiences want action to flow more rapidly these days. When we produced KING LEAR in 2010, I cut the play down to 3 hours and 30 minutes. The audiences told us their experience was riveting, heart-rending, and exhausting. (Imagine how we actors felt each night!)

I have cut JULIUS CAESAR to 2 hours' duration, plus a 15 minute interval. I promise that only repetitive information has been cut- the character development and quoted lines remain intact.

The song I chose for Lucius to sing in Brutus' tent is a poem by John Fletcher set to music by Peter Warlock, titled "Sleep." Every aspect fits: the poem is written by one of Shakespeare's collaborating actor/playwrights; the words comprise an eerie lullaby; and, the music sounds futuristically atonal. Ironically, the composer (Warlock) died by suicide at a very young age- all the more fitting that Brutus should hear this on the eve of his (her) demise.

JULIUS CAESAR runs through February 6 at the "Makeshift Theatre," 1504 Wirt Road. Performances are at 7pm. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com.

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