Tony Award-Winning Ensemble Brings 'Julius Caesar' to GMU

Sunday may be April Fool's Day, but it will be the Ides of March in Fairfax when The Acting Company brings Julius Caesar to on Sunday at 7 p.m. This performance is a co-production with the Guthrie Theater.

The classic story of opportunity and strategic error, historical events from the reign of this legendary Roman emperor, are interwoven with tragic elements and gripping language in this compelling work, believed to have been written in 1599.

Seen by many as overly ambitious and by others as a noble leader, Caesar chooses to ignore a soothsayer’s eerie warning to “beware the Ides of March.” The chilling prophecy comes true when his friends and colleagues conspire to assassinate him, leading to perhaps the most famous death scene ever, and Mark Antony’s memorable funeral oration, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.”

This thrilling, modern-dress production is directed by Rob Melrose, artistic director and co-founder of the Cutting Ball Theater in San Francisco.

Melrose said that he grew up in an era where reports of “voter apathy” filled the news cycles every election, in contrast to the highly polarized political atmosphere that exists today.

“The intense passion that now permeates our politics and threatens to divide our country make this a perfect time to re-examine Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ – a play that looks at what happens when political convictions create conflict and sometimes tragic upheaval.

We’re imagining a ‘Julius Caesar’ that captures the energy and excitement of American politics of the last presidential and mid-term elections: the rallies, the protests, the political spectacles of conventions, bill signings and the Congress, the high stakes speeches and debates, and, of course, the behind the scenes deal-making and strategizing.”

The Acting Company was founded in 1972 by the legendary John Houseman and current Producing Director Margot Harley. Alumni of The Acting Company include Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Frances Conroy, Jesse L. Martin and Rainn Wilson, among others.

The Acting Company has been honored with numerous awards, including the Obie Award, the Audelco Award, Los Angeles Critics Circle Award, Citibank’s Excellence in Education Award and a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater.

For more information or tickets, please call 888-945-2468 or visit cfa.gmu.edu or the Center for the Arts Box Office, open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.