Feature: Bard at the Bar is going digital with its world-premiere production of Caesar and Cleopatra online Aug. 23

Bard at the Bar is going digital with its world-premiere production of Caesar and Cleopatra online to be viewed worldside. The performance goes live at 5 p.m. Pacific Time/8 p.m. Eastern Time on Aug. 23.

The production was recorded at SPCKRFT Studios in the Arts District in July. One of Bard at the Bar actors, Johnie Wood IV, recorded and edited it with sound edited by Devon Burke.

Caesar and Cleopatra combine the Shakespearean tragedies of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra in a fictionalized account of the relationship between Julius Caesar, Antony, and Cleopatra. The performance promises to be a night of romance, deception, prophecy, and fate. The majesty of some of history's most infamous characters will be seen through the eyes of Shakespeare.

The production was one of the first projects discussed when the company was started in 2017. The play Julius Caesar had been creating a buzz for its modernized political commentary regarding the current administration. The company found that Caesar seemed to be portrayed more as a villain, while different historical accounts suggest otherwise (in the broadest sense). One of the takeaways from Julius Caesar dramatizing his assassination was the Roman public's response to it. It took zero time for the people to turn on the senators that carried out Caesar's murder, especially when they discovered that Caesar's last will left all of his wealth and property to them. He may have had the title of dictator, and had many failings as all rulers do, but he actually more of a man of the people then demigod. The senators behind the assassination are not the heroes. The only senator that has any sympathetic aura about him is Brutus, who had been convinced that murdering Caesar was purely to save Rome. The plot wasn't a power play on Brutus' part; Brutus was a teenager when it all happened and viewed Caesar as a father figure and mentor. The older members of the Senate were career politicians who were bitter about seeing their power and wealth slip away. There was also some bitterness about Caesar's connection to Cleopatra and Egypt.

Antony and Cleopatra picks up where Julius Caesar left off with Octavian taking on the mantle of Caesar Augustus and creating the second triumvirate with Mark Antony. Antony and Cleopatra also embodies the tragic love story of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.

Cleopatra is one of the most notorious figures in human history as beautiful, brilliant, and bloodthirsty. She was willing to do anything for power, including having Julius Caesar lead a coup to assassinate her brother/husband Ptolemy and take the throne of Egypt. After her brief romance with Caesar, which conceived a son (Caesarion), and since Caesar didn't have any children of his own, Caesarion technically could have become the ruler to both Egypt and Rome. This situation was something that the Romans (namely the political leaders and nobles) regarded as an enormous problem which creates the tension with Egypt incorporated into this play. Creative liberty was employed with a meshed a scene from Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra to show her arriving in Rome and technically two-timing Antony and Julius Caesar.

The goal of the production was that people make a connection with this compilation production. Shakespeare took a lot of creative liberties with his recounting of history and that both Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra were ultimately designed to be entertaining. Still, Bard at the Bar wanted to bring a bit more of the historical aspect to this compilation production. The company strives to inspire people with interest in history and encourage some to research the true history of these three iconic people. Bard in the Bar is the first company to produce this mashup of these two Shakespearean tragedies.

The cast list:

Antony: Marcus Martinez

Cleopatra: Tonya Todd

Julius Caesar: Sloan Hickson

Cassius: Matt Sjafiroeddin

Casca: Sean Clark

Brutus: Myles Lee

Philo: Johnie Wood IV

Alexas: Gabriella Harris

Soothsayer: Briana Adams

Octavian: Dominic Graber- Pritchard

Calpurnia/ Senator: Paula Loop

Citizen/ Soldier: Nyssa Senoi-Newman

There will be a follow-up Q&A on Zoom following the performance where several cast and crew members will be present. People have to book tickets to be part of the Q&A and can receive the link by clicking here.

Bard at the Bar will perform its world-premiere production of Caesar and Cleopatra at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Donations will be accepted, and more information can be found by clicking here.

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