Worcester Common to Host Free Outdoor Performances of Julius Caesar

WORCESTER, Mass. – In William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the assassination of Caesar is just the beginning of a political drama that chronicles the battle for control of the ancient Roman republic. In the play, politicians and commoners take matters into their own hands as they undermine Rome’s democratic values. As a result, their society unravels and civil strife erupts into civil war. Although written more than four hundred years ago by Shakespeare, the theme of democratic instability reverberates today in America.

“Our own democracy stands on the same knife’s edge,” said Livy Scanlon, the director of the Hanover Theatre Repertory’s (THT Rep) upcoming production of Julius Caesar.

THT Rep will perform the play on the steps of City Hall and the Worcester Common. Performances begin on Friday, August 6, and run through Sunday, August 22, with preview performances starting Tuesday, August 3. The show is free and open to the public through a partnership with the City of Worcester and support from the Worcester Downtown Business Improvement District.

Scanlon said now is a perfect time to address the major themes of authoritarianism and the abuse of power that is prevalent in Julius Caesar. “We are staging this play at this moment for this audience to pose the question, are we Rome?”

Scanlon directs her rhetorical question to her audience. Are there parallels between Caesar’s ambition for power and his ruthless determination to be the Emperor of Rome to former President Donald Trump’s desperate attempts to hang onto the Oval Office through false claims of a rigged election? Is Cassius’s thirst to overthrow Caesar equivalent to the Democrats’ hatred toward Trump and his supporters?

The Hanover Theatre is promoting the show as “a response to our nation’s ongoing conflicts.” Julius Caesar is a timely tragedy that is equal parts political drama and civil war epic. The play has been specially adapted and directed by Scanlon, who also serves as THT Rep’s artistic director. Her version of the play will run approximately 90 minutes with intermission and feature immersive, energetic and socially distanced staging. Togas and crowd participation is encouraged, as audiences will have the opportunity to boo and/or cheer along with the action.

This performance of Julius Caesar will also be their first production since last December’s performances of A Christmas Carol.

“This production is our gift to the community, a way of saying ‘thank you’ for the extraordinary level of support we’ve been shown throughout the pandemic,” said Troy Siebels, president and CEO of The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the city to safely bring live theatre back to downtown.”

Seating will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis, while those who arrive later can bring their own lawn chairs or join the fun from a park bench.

As with past THT Rep productions, COVID-19 safety precautions will be enforced according to state guidelines.

“It is critically important to keep people connected to the arts, and COVID-19 has forced us to reimagine how to do that,” said City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. “Staging Julius Caesar outside will once again allow audiences to safely enjoy live theatre and stay connected to the city’s vibrant arts scene. We are excited to partner with THT Rep to help bring this production to life.”

Julius Caesar is being produced on a shoestring budget. In order to hire professional theatre artists, meet all costs and offer performances free and open to the public, THT Rep’s production relies on generous underwriting from individual and institutional sponsors, like Assumption University and the Bay State Savings Bank.

“Live theatre is incredibly expensive to produce, even more so when it’s staged outside,” Scanlon said. “Though it may sound like a lot, we’re mounting this show on an incredibly lean budget of only $200,000, which means paying the professionals in the show little more than the minimum wage.”

“We will be seeking to raise the dollars we need in the coming weeks,” Siebels said. “Our generous supporters will enable us to offer these performances to audiences at no cost and to build toward a future where we can support local theatre professionals with the higher wages who we need to attract to stay in Worcester.”

For information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Senior Sales Manager Diane Pieciak at diane@thehanovertheatre.org or call 508-930-2424.

Cast and Crew

The mantra for making a quality show from THT Rep is “it takes a village to produce live theatre!” There is a large team of people involved with the August production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar on the Worcester Common.

Livy Scanlon, director of Julius Caesar. Photo by Unity Mike

As director, Scanlon, a Worcester-based playmaker, leads the way with a wealth of knowledge and experience running a large production like Julius Caesar. She is a versatile theatre professional with experience as a producer, director, actor, and teacher.

She currently serves as artistic director of The Hanover Theatre Repertory and managing director of the BrickBox Theater in the Jean McDonough Arts Center. She lives in Worcester’s Canal District with her wife, Rachel, and their rescue pup, Rusty.

Of course, Scanlon cannot do it alone. She is helped by associate director Kathryn Moncrief, scene and costume designer Lex Liang, lighting designer Stephen Petrilli, sound designer Dewey Dellay and fight choreographer Robert Isaacson.

The cast includes some notable acting talent.

Dale Place as Julius Caesar

Acting veteran Dale Place will play Julius Caesar. Place has been a professional actor for 40 years with credits in New York, Boston, Regional Theatre, and major motion pictures including Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Proposal (2009) and The Fighter (2010). He has also played Scrooge in the Hanover Theatre’s first four years of A Christmas Carol.

Jihan Haddad will make her debut with The Hanover Theatre as the Soothsayer.

Jihan Haddad will make her debut with The Hanover Theatre as the Soothsayer. Originally from Portland, Oregon, she is currently finishing her MFA degree in acting with the Brown/Trinity MFA Acting and Directing Programs. Some of her credits there include Summer & Smoke, The Tempest, and “Millenarians,” a student produced film.

Joshua Wolf Coleman returns to work with The Hanover Theatre as Brutus.

Joshua Wolf Coleman returns to work with The Hanover Theatre after an attempt to perform in their pandemic-interrupted Romeo and Juliet. Coleman will play Brutus. He has over thirty television credits, including Hidalgo (2004), How to Get Away with Murder (2014), and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008), plus forty theatre credits. He is a graduate of the University of California San Diego in the MFA program.

Jade Ziane will play Octavius Caesar.

Jade Ziane is ready to be stepping back on stage after a long year-and-a-half in the role of Octavius Caesar. His previous Off-Broadway credits include: Mint in Tennessee Williams 1982 at SOHO Rep; Piero in Big Love at Michael Schimmel Center; Ali in Queens Boulevard at Theatre Row. He also performed in the Access Theatre’s production of Julius Caesar.

Also included in the cast are Randolph Curtis Rand as Calpurnius; Livy Scanlon as Antonia; Lizzie Brooks as Portia; Clew as Lucius; Meri Stypinski as Cassia; Brandon Grimes as Decius; Steve Barkhimer as Cascus; and Lia Madeline as Cinna the senator. Members of the ensemble cast include Amie Lytle, Peter Mann, Lindsey Hawkes, Yahya Jingo, Ellen Lokos, Cristiano Lourenço, Jr., Gideon Malugge and Michael Skrzek.

To learn more about THT Rep’s Julius Caesar, call 877-571-SHOW (7469) or visit TheHanoverTheatre.org/juliuscaesar.