Disquieted by Julius Caesar’s potential kingship, his conspirators combat the idea of a male hierarchy in the Drake University Department of Theatre Arts’ adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” which will run from Nov. 20-23.
The play will be at 7:30 p.m. from Nov. 20-22, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 23 in the Performing Arts Hall. The production will depict the conspiracy surrounding the assassination of Roman general and statesman, Caesar, in 44 B.C.E., and its aftermath, which led to a civil war. It features the civil war’s climax, the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C.E.
Director and Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Michael Rothmayer adapted the text of the play by gender-swapping some of the lead roles.
“In doing this, the major conflict within the original play — those who want to preserve the Roman Republic versus those who want to see Caesar crowned as a king — expanded to include a broader conflict between patriarchy and matriarchy as well,” Rothmayer said.
Camryn Caruso, who plays the main role of Brutus, explained that those against Caesar, including her character, Cassius, as well as Casca and Cinna, are all being played by women. Those in favor of Caesar, which include Mark Antony, Lepidus and Octavius, are being played by men.
The key message of this adaptation is “the evil that men do lives after them,” Rothmayer said. Caruso described how, in Rothmayer’s adaptation of the play, the word “men” is meant to be read literally and with emphasis.
“[Rothmayer] put this quote in here, and, ironically, it’s a line that is repurposed from Mark Antony,” Caruso said. The line can be heard during Caesar’s funeral in Act 3, scene 2.
Caruso said that parallels could be made between this adaptation and America’s political affairs. The audience may find similarities between Caesar’s leadership and that in the U.S., Caruso said.
“There’s this leader who’s obviously not a good one [who] isn’t helping the good of people [or] the poor plebeians,” Caruso said. “And there’s these women or people who could be perceived as radical, trying to get them to stop and trying to get the rest of the world to see that he needs to go for the good of Rome.”
“Julius Caesar” is also one of the most action-oriented plays in all of Shakespeare, Rothmayer said. Both Caruso and Rothmayer expressed their excitement for the action and stage combat scenes overall, with Caruso looking forward to a combat scene between her and Caesar about 40 minutes into the play.
“As both a director and a theatre history professor, I have been a great fan of this play for a long time,” Rothmayer said.
AJ Speck, the stage manager, acknowledged the cast and crew’s effort and complimented their hard work.
“Even as a theatre major, where we study Shakespeare, it can be hard to sit down and know exactly what’s happening,” Speck said. “We’re very aware that a lot of contemporary audiences aren’t going to necessarily come in and know the exact verbiage, so that’s why we’re working really hard to make sure that the text is communicated both verbally and physically.”
Caruso works diligently to make everything she does intentional for the audience. To help the audience grasp an understanding of the show, Caruso must first understand her character’s lines and then convey their emotions.
The audience isn’t expected to know Shakespeare to understand the show, and even if someone is concerned about not grasping what’s happening in the play, they should still attend, Speck said. They clarified that audience members will be able to follow what’s happening.
“It never hurts to give it a chance,” Speck said.
