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Lincoln Shakespeare Company and Common Ground Theatre Company
MODERN MAKEOVER FOR JULIUS CAESAR
Two of Lincoln’s leading theatre companies have joined forces to breathe new life into one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies.
The Lincoln Shakespeare Company and Common Ground Theatre Company have collaborated to bring the powerful political drama of Julius Caesar into a contemporary context.
In this new production to be staged at the Lincoln Drill Hall from 26th to 28th April politicians give televised press conferences, 24-hour news channels bring images from the battlefield and sirens wail as rioters clash in the streets.
This vision of Julius Caesar builds on the immediacy of Shakespeare's great play – an astonishing dramatisation of the actual historical events first set down in detail only a matter of years after they occurred – through its contemporary setting, its pace and its action.
“By setting Julius Caesar in a modern context, where Caesar has an ear for a soundbite, the news cameras follow Brutus’ every move and Mark Antony knows how to use the media to his advantage, we hope to make the play accessible to a wide audience,” says director Jez Ashberry.
“These days we all recognise the behaviour of politicians and how it’s reflected and sometimes distorted in the media.
“Julius Caesar is all about those themes: how to win over public opinion and keep it on your side, how power corrupts and how political principles are often sacrificed for pragmatic purposes.”
This new production gives Shakespeare’s play a contemporary setting without restricting itself to narrow topical interpretations.
“Some productions try to make a crude historical point, likening Caesar to Hitler, Idi Amin or Mussolini.
“But the play doesn’t fit so neatly into those interpretations. Much more important are the tensions between the republicans and the monarchists, or between idealist Brutus and pragmatic Cassius.”
Julius Caesar can be seen at the Lincoln Drill Hall from Thursday 26th April until Saturday 28th April at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £8 for adults and £6.50 for under-18s and discounts are available for group bookings.
To book tickets call the Drill Hall box office on 01522 873894.
For more information contact:
Jez Ashberry Pete Came
Common Ground Theatre Company Lincoln Shakespeare Company
01522 826113 07734 211009
www.commongroundtheatre.co.uk www.lincolnshakespeare.co.uk |
