The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, also known simply as Julius Caesar, is believed to have been written in 1599. It portrays the 44BC conspiracy against the Roman dictator Julius Caesar, his assassination and the defeat of the conspirators at the Battle of Philippi.

This 'production' is the result of establishing a number of key questions and interrogating the assumptions that cluster around the decision to stage a Shakespearean text for a contemporary South African audience. Nine fourth year students signed up for a research project course mapping relations between theatre/drama/performance with the understanding that conceptual and theoretical questions would be integrated in the presentation of Julius Caesar. The rehearsal space has been one in which ideas could be applied and tested in conjunction with expanding skills in improvisation and acting techniques.

Through dismantling the linear structure of the play they have investigated three different interest groups whose perspective and position in relation to the events is markedly different. They present part 1: Citizens and subjects; part 2: Caesar; and Part 3: Brutus.

The focus has been directed towards developing ensemble performance skills and collective agency. So it is that there may be more than one Brutus in this company, just as there may be more than one Antony – and many other variables – and each will bring their own nuances to the way in which the story is played out, to the interaction within the ensemble and the collective commitment to a shared understanding of the action and the play of ideas.

The play will not be the same tonight as it is tomorrow night; the permutations of who plays which role will shift the relationships, tensions and register of the way in which the story unfolds…this is as it should be: affiliations and allegiances are neither immutable nor stable; social relations are volatile and unpredictable, and the outcome of determined action of even the most idealistic ethical and political conviction cannot be a guarantee of future stability.

Free parking is available in Senate House; the entrance is on Jorissen Street, Braamfontein

Production: The Julius Caesar Project
Venue: Wits Amphitheatre, East Campus, Jorissen Street, Braamfontein
Season: Tuesday, 14 to Wednesday, 22 May at 19:30.

To book, visit www.ticket.co.za. Full price tickets cost R70 while the discount price is R40 and applies to students, pensioners and Wits staff. Tickets are available at the door for R75 and at a discount price of R50 for students, pensioners and Wits staff.

For more information, phone 011 717 1376 or email [email protected].