Download to read the Julius Caesar Press Release

Danielle Dwyer, CJ
Artistic Director
For immediate release
Contact: Jennifer Lynch
Email: [email protected]
Cell: 774-722-4179
www.elementstheatre.org
ELEMENTS THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS SHAKESPEARE’S EPIC
TRAGEDY
JULIUS CAESAR, OUTDOORS IN THE ATRIUM OF THE CHURCH OF
THE TRANSFIGURATION, AUGUST 8-14
ORLEANS, MA – Elements Theatre Company of Orleans, MA presents JULIUS CAESAR,
William Shakespeare’s enduring story of the struggle between ambition and loyalty, power and
love, set in Rome in 44 BC. The production will be set outdoors in the stone atrium of the Church
of the Transfiguration, a modern expression of an ancient basilican style of architecture.
Surrounded by pillars of fire, the open night air, and the nearby ocean, Julius Caesar takes on a
powerful, elemental quality that evokes the timelessness of the human condition. The show runs
August 8-10 and 14-17 (showtimes at 8pm). A gourmet, 3-course pre-show dinner is available
August 9, 10, and 15. A special guest lecture will be given on opening night, August 8, at
7:00pm by Michael Sexton, Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Society in New York City.
“We chose to do Julius Caesar because of the many aspects of human nature that it
addresses,” says Elements Artistic Director Danielle Dwyer, CJ. “All of Shakespeare’s plays are
very strong in this way, but Julius Caesar in particular highlights the question of what happens
when people make decisions based on what they think may happen, and take the power into
their own hands. In this story, chaos ensues.”
The atrium of the Church of the Transfiguration is a solid stone structure, surrounded by
columns, rough-hewn lime stone walls, large bronze doors, massive fir beams, and stone floors.
“The weight of the structure itself, and the sheer mass of the stone, add a certain gravitas to the
story,” observes Assistant Director Christopher Kanaga, who plays Mark Antony. “After all, these
are weighty subjects being explored – life and death, murder and revenge, republic vs.
monarchy – and the decisions that these men make will last for decades to come. This structure
is built to take that kind of weight.”
Elements’ interpretation of Julius Caesar is uniquely inspired by the myth of Romulus and
Remus, two brothers whose battle over Rome leads Romulus to murder his own brother – the
ultimate betrayal. This source material influences the entire production, from interpretation of
text to costume design. “This theme is particularly poignant at the murder of Caesar,” notes Sr.
Danielle Dwyer. “His death was not just a political strategy – it was the murder of a human
being. What happens when one person murders another because they think it’s the right thing to
do?”
A highlight of Julius Caesar will be the live, original music and the richly detailed, intricately
fabricated costumes. Costume designer Michelle Rich notes, “In creating the costumes for the
play and carrying forward the theme of Romulus and Remus, who were nurtured by a wolf, we
created period costumes with elements of wolf imagery. This gives the production a modern
edge, and also illuminates the themes: For example, when Caesar is killed, the men lose their
individual identity. They become a wolf pack, a killing machine – and the unified, grey costumes
reflect that.”
Location, Times, and Tickets
Julius Caesar will run August 8-10 and 14-17, outdoors in the atrium of the Church of the
Transfiguration at Rock Harbor in Orleans, Massachusetts (5 Bay View Drive). Showtime is
8pm. Guests are invited to attend a pre-show lecture on opening night, August 8, at 7:00pm
given by Michael Sexton, Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Society in New York City.
A Pre-show Dinner at Paraclete House, a beautiful retreat facility overlooking Rock Harbor and
Cape Cod Bay, is available at 6:00pm on August 9, 10, and 15.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Show only: $30 ($25 Seniors, Free for students and youth ages 18 and under)
Dinner and Show: $60 ($55 Seniors, $18 for youth ages 18 and under)
Tickets can be purchased at the door, online at www.elementstheatre.org, or by calling 508-2402400. Reservations are required for the pre-show dinners.
About Elements Theatre Company
Elements Theatre Company is a non-profit, professional theatre ensemble of 16 artists-inresidence who perform both classical and classically rooted modern works year-round in
Orleans, Massachusetts. Founded in 1992, Elements has performed and studied at home and
abroad, touring in North America, Europe, and South Africa. Performance highlights of the past
decade include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Cherry Orchard, Pillars of the
Community, A Christmas Carol, God of Carnage, The Dining Room, Rumors, Lion in Winter and
Lady Windermere’s Fan. The company maintains an active, ongoing training program, with
intensive professional studies in London, New York, Chicago and at home. Past teachers
include Patsy Rodenberg, Joanna Weir-Ouston, Glynn MacDonald, Sue Lefton, Louis Colaianni,
Jane Nichols, Lenard Petit, Daniela Varon, Christine Adaire, Patrice Eggleston, Kestutis Nakas,
Nick Sandys-Pullin and Rachel Slavick.
For more information about Elements Theatre Company, visit www.elementstheatre.org.
“Elements Theatre Company is about more than entertainment: every piece they undertake explores the
breadth of humanity — its horror, its loveliness, and its humor — with honesty. These actors hold up the
mirror for themselves and in turn give us, the audience, the courage to look into that mirror too, and not
shy away from what we find.” —JULIE HARRIS
“Their professionalism and commitment to their craft are unmistakable.”
-BROADWAY WORLD
“Elements Theatre’s repertory stage company always delivers top-notch productions. . . a remarkably
talented cast of actors who breathe articulate life into each line of Shakespeare’s poetic prose.”
-BARNSTABLE PATRIOT
“Elements Theatre Company has made Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream new, fresh,
majestic and magical.”
-CAPE COD TIMES