Theater & Performance Studies Program Presents "Caesar" Nov. 2-11
Production, made possible with support of Arena Stage/Georgetown University/Andrew R. Ammerman F’72 Partnership, runs at Georgetown’s Davis Performing Arts Center
Washington, DC—Continuing its 2017-18 season “Past/Present,” the Georgetown University Theater & Performance Studies Program, ranked by Backstage in 2012 as one of the top five college theater programs outside of New York City, moves William Shakespeare’s classic “Julius Caesar” into the context of 2017 America and its ubiquitous media coverage, cult of personality, and the capricious loyalty of public opinion. This production features nontraditional casting, with a decidedly female-driven cast; the play depicts one kind of coup, and the production depicts another: a coup against the patriarchy in American Theatre. “Caesar” runs November 2-11, 2017 at the Davis Performing Arts Center’s Gonda Theatre, located on Georgetown University’s main campus.
Republic or Empire? Exploring what happens when one man seeks absolute power through populism, how susceptible people are to the persuasion of compelling rhetoric, and whether it is ever justifiable to use violence to protect a democracy, “Caesar” is adapted and directed by Anita Maynard-Losh, Arena Stage’s Director of Community Engagement. The production is made possible with support of the Arena Stage/Georgetown University/Andrew R. Ammerman F‘72 Partnership, now in its twelfth year.
Maynard-Losh says, “It feels particularly timely to explore Caesar in this specific political moment: a time when many are wrestling with questions of patriotism and shame, while shaken by the threat of unbridled power, and fearful of its future repercussions.”
The design team includes Elise Lemle (COL ’10), Set Designer; Sydney Moore, Costume Designer; Grace Smith (COL’18), Lighting Designer; Kenny Neal, Sound Designer; Erin Teachman, Projection Designer; Tommy Wang, Props Designer; and Casey Kaleba, Fight Choreographer.
The cast of Georgetown students includes Vanessa Chapoy (COL ‘18) as Soothsayer, Sara Chaves (COL ’19) as Metellus, Paulina Enck (SFS ’21) as Calpurnia, Brandon Herren (COL ’21) as Cinna the Poet, Kate Ginna (COL ’18) as Cassius, Jubilee Johnson (COL ’19) as Cinna the Conspirator, Alyssa Kardos (NHS ’21) as Trebonius, Healy Knight (COL ’20) as Decius, Nicolas Mititelu (SFS ’21) as Octavius, Eliza Palter (COL ’20) as Brutus, Alex Prout (COL ’19) as Antony, Maddy Rice (COL ’20) as Casca, Jacob Steinberg (COL ’18) as Servius, Christopher Warren (COL ’20) as Lepidus, Connor Magnacca (COL ’21) as Lucius, Darren Danaie (COL ’21) as Citizen, Jackson Wagner (COL ’21) as Citizen, Kyle Wang (SFS ’21) as Citizen, and Charlie Trepany (COL ’19) as Caesar.
Showtimes for “Caesar” include the following:
Thursday-Saturday, November 2-4, 2017 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 2 p.m.
Thursday-Saturday, November 9-11, 2017 at 8 p.m.
Ticket prices are as follows:
FRIDAY/SATURDAY EVENING: $18 general | $15 faculty, staff, alumni, senior | $10 student
ALL OTHER PERFORMANCES: $15 general | $12 faculty, staff, alumni, senior | $7 student
To order, visit performingarts.georgetown.edu or call 202-687-ARTS (2787) Monday through Friday, 3-6 p.m. Georgetown University’s main campus is located at 3700 O St. NW, in Washington, DC. Additionally, space-available GU student tickets for opening night on Nov. 12 are free (limit one), I.D. required at pickup. The Theater & Performance Studies Program and the Doyle Program will also offer a post-show drinks and debate event immediately following the Sunday, November 5 matinee.
The Past/Present season at the Davis Performing Arts Center opened with “The Infinite Wrench” (Oct. 4-14), a collaboration between The Chicago Neo-Futurists and Georgetown; and will also include a co-production with Spooky Action Theater of “The Lathe of Heaven,” based on the book by Ursula K. Le Guin and adapted/directed by Prof. Natsu Onoda Power (Jan. 25-27, followed by a run at Spooky Action Theater); as well the world premiere of Lauren Feldman’s “Amanuensis,” directed by Prof. Maya E. Roth (April 12-21).
In addition to this Georgetown University production of “Caesar,” other Arena Stage/Georgetown University/Andrew R. Ammerman F’72 partnership events this year include an upcoming discussion with playwright and Georgetown University alumna Mary Kathryn Nagle, whose play “Sovereignty” debuts at Arena Stage as the fourth production in the company’s Power Plays initiative in January 2018.
About Anita Maynard-Losh
Anita Maynard-Losh has 30 years of experience in arts education as an instructor and administrator, including summer programs for young people at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and several successful programs in Alaska. She was a full-time faculty member in the theater department at Webster Univ. in St. Louis and headed the theater department of Univ. of Alaska Southeast. Anita came to Arena Stage from Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska, where she was associate artistic director, administered all of the theater’s educational programming, and directed 18 main stage productions. The Alaska Native-inspired production of Macbeth that Anita conceived and directed was performed in English and Tlingit at the National Museum of the American Indian as part of the Shakespeare in Washington Festival. She’s directed readings of new plays at Arena Stage and the Kennedy Center and has been assistant director, dialect coach and vocal consultant on numerous productions at Arena Stage. Anita was the dialect coach on the musical Ragtime at the Kennedy Center and on the recent Broadway production.
About the Georgetown University Theater & Performance Studies Program
Housed in the Davis Performing Arts Center, the Georgetown University Theater & Performance Studies Program features a nationally recognized faculty of leading scholar/artists and professional practitioners who offer a dynamic interdisciplinary major that emphasizes the interaction of artistic and analytic inquiry. The Program has rapidly attracted significant national attention for its distinctive curriculum, which integrates the political and international character of Georgetown, a commitment to social justice, and high-quality, cutting-edge production seasons, including world premieres. In 2012, Backstage selected the Program as one of the top five college theater programs outside of New York City. The Theater & Performance Studies Program provides unique focus on adapting, devising and developing new work, interdisciplinary research-to-performance projects, cross-cultural performance studies, and innovative approaches to design and multi-media, as well as playwriting, directing, dramaturgy, ensemble, and solo performance. The Program invests in a distinctive array of professional partnerships and collaborations, including with Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, with a growing focus on global performance and politics, as represented by international residencies (DAH Teatar, Ping Chong, Timberlake Wertenbaker) and by the establishment of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, a collaborative initiative with the School of Foreign Service. Each year the Program hosts residencies with guest artists who collaborate deeply with students. Our major prepares students for lives as professional theater artists, scholars, activists and entrepreneurs, as well as for careers in the wider fields of education, cultural criticism, and public service.
About the Arena Stage/Georgetown University/Andrew R. Ammerman F’72 Partnership
Now in its twelfth year, our unique partnership with Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has been made possible by the generosity of the Ammerman Family. This partnership embodies our shared missions and commitments: development of new work, mentorship of a new generation of artists and administrators, community engagement, and deepening the dialogue on vital issues in the field. Projects developed under this partnership have taken diverse forms. Artistic highlights have included festivals celebrating Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, and Eugene O’Neill; developmental readings of new Heather Raffo plays; and a workshop of Moisés Kaufman’s “33 Variations,” which led to a full production at Arena, then on to Broadway. Other significant collaborations have included the symposium “Playing with the Past, (W)righting the Future”; artistic and administrative fellowships for GU alumni; and GU nights for current students.
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