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CEDAR CITY—The timelessness of Shakespeare’s plays has been discussed and commented on ad nauseam. However, this year’s production of “Julius Caesar,” directed by Joe Hanreddy and performed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, seems particularly relevant during this 2016 election cycle.
“There is a reason the festival is producing this play during an election year. ‘Julius Caesar’ usually gets produced during an election year because at the play’s core, there is this question: What government style is good and just?” Fred Gyer, the actor who plays Cinna in "Julius Caesar" said.
Themes of ambition, concern for freedom and honor in the midst of political corruption are seen throughout “Julius Caesar.” These themes resonate in current society, Rosie Ward, the actress who plays Calpurnia, said.
“Many audience members find it comical to watch the citizens of Rome become so easily manipulated. However, their situation is very much like ours. Watching the news, you can see how society becomes so easily persuaded toward a particular side,” she said.
Shakespeare’s tragedy makes audiences puzzle over what the nature and purpose of government should be, while also questioning their own motivations. Audience members watching the play are constantly assessing which character to root for or boo at, but the answer is never simple, according to Jeff Cummings, the actor who plays Marcus Brutus said.
“You are always looking for the character that you can link up with, and Brutus presents himself as one of those guys that you can relate to. You want to hang your hat on him, but then he becomes a murderer, and then you think maybe Antony is better, but then he lies and pleases the mob. Ultimately, you don’t know who to align with,” Cummings said.
Individuals are contradictory and their motives often convoluted. Shakespeare’s ability to illustrate this aspect of humanity through his characters is one of the most recognized hallmarks of the playwright.
“I think these plays do so well because they are about people, who are filled with doubts and uncertainty that are human, and there are certainly themes that resonate as well with our current political situation,” Sam Ashdown, actor who played Marc Antony, said.
The production takes place in the 200-seat Anes Studio Theatre creating a very intimate setting. The smaller space integrates the audience into the production and forces them to engage in a way they otherwise might not, for example, if they were in a much larger arena.
“In ‘Caesar’ we use the audience as stand-ins for the crowds of citizenry mobbing the city. We are interacting in a very immediate way,” Ashdown said.
This small stage setting coupled with the contemporary dress and scenery makes the play even more accessible for the audience.
“Everything in the play is up to date, and that choice to make the setting modern helps this kind of production resonate with the current political situation, as opposed to an equally valid choice, to do it during Elizabethan times or set in ancient rome,” Gyer said.
“The smaller stage is choice," Cummings said. "It allows us to behave as the character, we can internalize what the character is going through rather than having to project this outward. When you are working in an outdoor theatre you have to project out, and you refer to your fellow cast-mates, and you have to be forward. But in the small, intimate space, you are in a petri dish. You must behave as the character, moment to moment, audience members and actors on an E-ticket Julius Caesar ride — and we are all on the ride together.”
To purchase tickets or find out more information about the Utah Shakespearean Festival, visit their website.
The last performance of “Julius Caesar” will be on Oct. 22.
