The Acting Company is currently on its 39th national tour featuring a new production of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” which they will perform as part of the Mississippi State University Lyceum Series
Thursday, Feb. 23.
The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Bettersworth Auditorium of Lee Hall. Tickets are $15 for adults; $12 for senior citizens (65 and older) and MSU faculty and staff; and $8 for children 3-12 years old. MSU students are admitted free with valid student identification.
“Our rendition of ‘Julius Caesar’ is hip, modern and most importantly, relevant,” said Sean Katz of The Acting Company. The production uses a hip-hop soundtrack, graffiti walls resembling inner cities, and modern day costumes.
“It’s as if you were seeing Julius Caesar through a 21st century lens,” said Katz. The language, however, is true to that of Shakespeare.
Using modern dress allows for greater accessibility for audiences and their engagement with Shakespeare’s story. The Acting Company will not recreate Shakespeare’s story; it stands on its own merits and demands us to explore and question as much today as when it was written, Katz shared.
Although Shakespeare was a student of history, he was also deeply concerned with connecting history to his contemporary audience. The Acting Company’s production will also be rooted in details from contemporary America, so that audiences can easily relate to and understand some of the history that is often missed in a more traditional production.
Actors such as Rainn Wilson, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Frances Conroy and David Ogden Stiers began their careers on tour with The Acting Company. Honored by the Tony Awards for Excellence in Theater, The Company has won the Obie, Audelco, Citibank’s Excellence in Education and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.
Since its founding in 1972 by the legendary John Houseman and current Producing Artistic Director Margot Harley, The Acting Company has performed 136 productions in 48 states and 10 foreign countries.
For more information about The Acting Company’s “Julius Caesar,” visit theactingcompany.org/.
For more on MSU’s Lyceum Series, visit lyceum.msstate.edu or contact the Center for Student Activities at 662-325-2930.
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