POLITICAL INTRIGUE. CONSPIRATORS. MURDER. JULIUS CAESAR, a tragic play in five acts written by William Shakespeare and directed by Robert Beltran (Star Trek: Voyager; Zoot Suit; Eating Raoul), will be coming to the community of Boyle Heights, CA presented in a five-week run by CASA 0101 Theater and Josefina López, Artistic Director. The production will be presented on the theater's Main Stage located at 2102 East First Street (at St. Louis Street), Boyle Heights, CA 90033 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays at 5:00 p.m., today, October 17 - November 16, 2014. A Preview performance will be given on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. There will be no performance on Sunday, November 9, 2014.
Josefina López said, "It has always been part of my vision as Artistic Director of CASA 0101 Theater to bring classical literature like Shakespeare to the community of Boyle Heights. As a young girl I was fortunate to be exposed to the classics, which helped me establish a firm foundation for myself as a writer while I was finding my own unique creative voice. In January of 2014 Robert Beltran began the process of selecting actors at CASA 0101 Theater to train and work with for several months on the language of Shakespeare, sonnets, iambic pentameter and verse, with the ultimate goal of presenting a full Shakespearian production at the end of that process. Mounting JULIUS CAESAR, our first Shakespearian production, is a major undertaking and artistic leap for us at Casa 0101 Theater. This production will also be part of Encuentro 2014, A National Latina/o Theatre Festival in its Inaugural Season, which we are very excited to be part of."
Robert Beltran said, "Our production of JULIUS CAESAR will be a non-traditional, non-gender specific, nor time specific rendition. It will be a symbiotic melding of Ancient Rome with contemporary culture that speaks to both. The production will be a surreal, nightmarish evocation of Ancient Rome, which serves as an abstract metaphor for our own society. My goal is to illuminate and be at the service of the play and not to bring attention to concepts or tricks. The play speaks to great ideals our own country was founded upon, which have eroded and declined over the years.
William Shakespeare wrote his play as a cautionary tale for his own country, with Julius Caesar's dictatorship serving as the centerpiece for the degradation of Republican ideals at that time in 44 BC, when the play is set. In terms of acting, I feel actors with great potential need training to develop a solid technique to catapult them to levels they may never had realized they had within them. Shakespeare is a means to that end."
CASA 0101 Theater's sponsors include: The California Endowment, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and The
Herb Alpert Foundation.
Leading a cast of 18 actors playing 44 roles in a primarily all Latina/o cast, Vance Valencia (of Boyle Heights) will appear in the title role of Julius Caesar, Rachel Gonzalez (of North Hollywood) will appear as Brutus and Lauren Ballesteros (of El Monte) will appear as Antony. Other cast members will include: Christina Avila (of Culver City) as Calpurnia;
Uvaldo Baltazar (of Commerce) as Murellus, Messala, Metellus and 4th Citizen;
Emmanuel Deleage (of Silver Lake) as Cinna The Poet, Cicero, Artemidorous and Citizen; Evan Garcia (of Boyle Heights) as Titinius, Lucillius, Antony's Servant, Publius, Cobbler and 3rd Citizen; Fidel Gomez (of Westlake) as Cassius (on October 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31, November 1 and 2, 2014); Jasmin Iraheta (of Filipinotown) as Lucius; Karlo Ishibashi (East Los Angeles) as Octavius;
Ted Lange (of Sherman Oaks) as Cassius (on November 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16, 2014); Angel Lizarraga (of Boyle Heights) as Caesar's Servant, Popillius, Octavius' Servant, Messenger and Carpenter; Linda Lopez (of Glendale) as Portia; Daniel Mora (of Glendale) as Casca; Ray Rios (Silver Lake) as Decius, Flavius, 1st Citizen and Pindarus; Moises Rodriguez (of Echo Park) as 2nd Citizen, Cinna The Conspirator, Poet and Strato; Miguel Roura (of Montebello) as Soothsayer, Ligarius and Volumnius; and Mario Valdez (of Cudahy) as Trebonius, Lepidus and Citizen. Jeremiah Ocanas (of Los Angeles) is an understudy.
The play's Production Team includes: Josefina López (of Silver Lake), Artistic Director, CASA 0101 Theater;
Emmanuel Deleage (of Silver Lake), Executive Director, CASA 0101 Theater, Producer;
Maria Martinez (of Los Angeles), Producer;
Edward Padilla (of Boyle Heights), Board President, CASA 0101 Theater, Producer; Martha Pelayo (of Los Angeles), Producer; Robert Beltran (of Los Feliz), Director; Christina Carrillo (of Los Angeles), Stage Manager; Cesar Holguin (of San Fernando Valley), Set Designer; Sohail e. Najafi (of Culver City), Lighting Designer; Abel Alvarado (of Los Angeles), Costume Designer; Julius Bronola (of Los Angeles), Costume Assistant; Vincent Sanchez (Commerce),
Sound Designer; Karlo Ishibashi (of Los Angeles), Prop Master;
Jorge Villanueva (of Boyle Heights), Board Operator; Sylvia Cortes (of Los Angeles), Outreach/Social Media; Luke Lizalde (of Los Angeles), Graphic Designer; Margaret Garcia (of Boyle Heights), Curator of the Art Exhibition; Arturo Urista (of Los Angeles), Artist Exhibition; Mark Kraus (of Los Angeles), Webmaster;
Ed Krieger (of La Crescenta), Production Photographer and Steve Moyer Public Relations (of Los Angeles), Press Representative.
Concurrently with the run of the show an Art Exhibit featuring the work of Arturo Urista will be on display in the Jean Deleage Art Gallery in the lobby of CASA 0101 Theater. The Exhibit, which will feature works in the themes of the play, will open on Thursday, October 16, 2014 with a Reception from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. To learn more about the artist, please visit
www.urita.com
A Discounted Preview Performance will be presented on Thursday, October 16, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. for $10.00 per person. Opening Night is Friday, October 17, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. The play will be presented for a five-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m. from October 17, 2014 - November 16, 2014 at CASA 0101 Theater, 2012 East First Street (at St. Louis Street across the street from the Hollenbeck Police Station), Boyle Heights, CA 90033. There will be no performance on Sunday, November 9, 2014.
Tickets during the five-week run are $20 per person for General Admission; $17 per person for Students and Seniors; and $15 per person for Boyle Heights residents. Discounts for Groups of 10 or more will be available at $15 per person. This show is recommended for mature audiences. Advance reservations are highly recommended.
Free Parking is available on several streets surrounding the theatre. Free Parking is also available on Fridays and Saturdays only at the Boyle Heights City Hall Parking Lot located at 2130 East First Street (at Chicago Street) by entering the lot from Chicago Street; the lot is closed on Sundays. For tickets, please call the CASA 0101 Theater Box Office at
323-263-7684, E-mail
tickets@casa0101.org, or buy online at
www.casa0101.org. Like us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/casa0101theater.
CASA 0101 Theater's production of Julius Caesar is being presented as part of Encuentro 2014, A National Latina/o Theatre Festival featuring ensemble and solo shows, as well as devised works showcasing the talents of 150 Latina/o artists and 19 theater companies.
Photo by Ed Krieger
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