ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Julius Caesar, one of Shakespeare’s most notable tragedies, is infused with fresh life in TAPS’s Winter Main Stage. Set five years in the future, this classic text opens up many lenses to our contemporary life and asks timeless questions of power, politics, and betrayal. Directed by TAPS Assistant Professor and Artistic Director Michael Rau, Julius Caesar reimagines historical political figures as they strive to make the right decision in the face of exceedingly complicated circumstances. This production is produced in collaboration with the COLLEGE (Civic, Liberal, and Global Education) program and presented in Memorial Auditorium.

 

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Michael Rau

MICHAEL RAU (TAPS Professor and Artistic Director) is a live performance director specializing in new plays, opera, and digital media projects. He has directed projects internationally in Germany, the UK, Brazil, Ireland, Denmark, Mexico, Canada, Australia, and the Czech Republic. He has created work in New York City at Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, PS122, HERE Arts Center, Ars Nova, The Bushwick Starr, The Brick, 59E59, 3LD, and Dixon Place. Regionally, his work has been seen at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, and the Humana Festival at Actors Theater of Louisville. His work with composer Kate Soper has been performed at the Seattle Symphony, Smith College, and The New York Festival of Song at the Dimenna Center. He has developed new plays at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Playwrights Realm and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. His production of temping was selected by the Guardian and the Telegraph as one of the best productions of the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the piece was featured twice in New York Times He is a recipient of a 2021 Artists + Machine Intelligence Research Award from Google, as well as fellowships from the Likhachev Foundation, the Kennedy Center, and the National New Play Network. He has been a resident artist at the Orchard Project, E|MERGE, and the Tribeca Performing Arts Center. His experimental opera, developed in collaboration with MeowWolf narrative director Joanna Garner was a finalist for the Finnish National Opera’s Opera Beyond competition. Rau is a Forward/Story fellow and a speaker at Books in Browsers, Performing Robots, and StoryCode. He has been an assistant director for Francesca Zambello, John Turturro, Robert Woodruff and associate director for Anne Bogart, Les Waters, and Ivo Van Hove. He is a New York Theater Workshop Usual Suspect and a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received his MFA in Theater Directing from Columbia University. At Stanford, he is an affiliate faculty member with the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and within TAPS serves as the head for the Theater-Making Concentration as well as the Artistic Director for the department.

 

COMPANION EVENT | EXPERT PANEL

JULIUS CAESAR AS A SITE FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY CONVERSATION

Moderated by Provost Persis Drell

FRIDAY MARCH 03 at 5:30-7PM
PIGOTT THEATER in MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

This panel is an interdisciplinary conversation to use the text of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as a vehicle for a conversation on approaches to decision-making and citizenship. One of the central issues of the play is about a single decision, “how should a citizen respond to a potential threat of tyranny?” and no one has enough evidence to know the “right” decision. In preparation for the upcoming Production (Mar 9-11), this conversation will ask experts from Classics, Poli-Sci, and Marketing, to discuss their own approaches to the dilemma posed by Julius Caesar. From political conceptions of justice to citizen’s obligations to their nation, to a deeper understanding of the dangers and nature of tyranny, the discussion will help audience members see the clear parallels to today that exist in this play. Using this classic play as a vehicle, we will be able to discuss decision-making from a multiplicity of angles with our panelists Christopher Krebs, Jonathan Levav, Jisha Menon, and Josh Ober; moderated by Persis Drell.

PANEL PARTICIPANTS

Persis Drell

PERSIS DRELL | MODERATOR

Provost; James and Anna Marie Spilker Professor; Professor in the School of Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering; Professor of Physics

Jonathan Levav

JONATHAN LEVAV

GSB Professor of Marketing and expert in behavioral decision theory

Chris Kerbs

CHRISTOPHER KREBS

Professor of Classics; expert on Caesar; intellectual history; Greek and Roman historiography; and Latin philology

Jisha Menon

JISHA MENON

Professor of TAPS and, by courtesy, of Comparative Literature; Fisher Family Director of Stanford Global Studies

Josh Ober

JOSH OBER

Professor of Political Science and Classics; expert on classical tyranny and democracy

TICKETS

$5-$20 | Advanced Purchase Required

WHEN

THURSDAY through SATURDAY
MARCH 09, 10 + 11 at 8PM

There will be no late seating or re-seating while the performance is in progress.

WHERE

MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM MAIN STAGE
551 Jane Stanford Way
Stanford University Main Campus

RUN TIME

This production runs approximately 1 hours and 50 minutes and is presented with one ten-minute intermission.

SPONSORS

This production was produced in close partnership with the COLLEGE (Civic, Liberal, and Global Education) program.

Additional support provided by the Pigott Fund for Drama, the May Ellen Ritter Production Fund, and the Drs. Ben and A. Jess Shenson Fund.

IMPORTANT INFO

LATE SEATING / RE-SEATING

For safety reasons, we cannot accommodate late admission OR re-seating while the performance is in progress. Please plan on arriving with ample time to find parking, locate the theater, move through the box office, etc.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Please request disability accommodations and access information via Stanford’s online form. Requests should be made by March 3rd. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided at the performance on Friday, March 10th. Electronic Assisted Listening Devices will be available for pickup at Will Call for all performances.


COVID-19 POLICY

Patrons should not attend events if they are experiencing symptoms of upper respiratory illness. If patrons should test positive for COVID-19 within ten days of being on campus, they should report using the General COVID-19 Case Reporting Form.

FILMING NOTICE

The Saturday, March 11th performance will be recorded for future public viewing. Cameras in the theater may incidentally capture audience images and audio in the background. Ticket Purchasers must alert all members of their party to this possibility, and refrain from purchasing tickets before receiving their Party’s consent.

HEAR FROM THE CAST

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

TABLEWORK | FACULTY VOICES

TAPS’s video series TABLEWORK, hosted by PhD student and Julius Caesar dramaturg Marina Johnson, is a behind-the-scenes look at the scholarly and artistic efforts behind each production.

This episode features TAPS Professor and Artistic Director MICHAEL RAU. Rau is directing our Winter Main Stage Julius Caesar, a co-production with the Stanford COLLEGE Program.

This episode features TAPS and Classics Professor RUSH REHM, discussing Shakespeare’s celebrated text, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

TABLEWORK | STUDENT VOICES

This episode features Stanford undergraduates and Julius Caesar Assistant Directors PRISCILLA DE LA ROSA and CAROLINE SASSO. They discuss their many responsibilities, from keeping the production on track to delving into the poignant and sometimes dark themes of tragedy.

This episode features Stanford undergraduate and history buff KILLIAN SULLIVAN speaking on the historical event of Julius Caesar’s death. He looks at where (and why) Shakespeare took narrative liberties, versus where the play remains historically accurate.

This episode features Stanford undergraduates WILDER SEITZ and RILEY PLAUT-DEWEESE, two leading members of Stanford’s Shakespeare Company (“StanShakes”). They discuss the resonance of Julius Caesar and Shakespeare’s relevance to contemporary college arts.

A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES

PRODUCTION CREDITS

CREATIVE TEAM

Director
Michael Rau

Choreographer & Movement Director
Aleta Hayes

Assistant Directors
Johnny Rabe, Priscilla De La Rosa, Caroline Sasso

Dramaturgs
Danielle Adair, Marina Johnson

Set Designer
Nina Ball

Costume Designer
Becky Bodurtha

Lighting Designer
Wen Ling Liao

Sound Designer
James Ard

Vocal Coach
Stephanie Hunt

Intimacy & Fight Director
Carla Pantoja

Stage Manager
Grace Ortega

Assistant Stage Manager
Cleopatra Howell

Sound Mixer
Sergey Bailleul

Assistant Set Designers
Kiki Hood, Ariella Pacheco

Assistant Costume Designer
Mikaela Hawkins

Assistant Fight Director
Kristen Matia

Associate Projection Designer
Diana Khong

Assistant to the Choreographer
Clément Bouden

CREW

Deck/Fly Operators
Chhavi Nahata, Alister Sharp

Dressers
Lance Shee-Ah Lee, Eryn Perkins

Sound Board Operator
Margarita Jamero

Light Board Operator
Alison Rogers

Follow Spot Operators
Ryan Yu, Kendall Zylstra

OnCall Technician
Jayda Alvarez

Laundry Crew
Alan Chau, Clem Harrington

CAST

Brutus
Sierra Michelle

Antony
Marlon Washington II

Caesar
Danny Ritz

Cassius
Esther Ji

Octavius
Evelyn Kuo

Portia
Bridget Phillips

Calphurnia
Sam Howell Petersen

Ensemble
Clément Bouden, Cameron Krouch, Finn Slingerland, Deniz Yagmur Urey, Sophia Wang

TAPS PRODUCTION STAFF

TAPS Chair
Diana Looser

Artistic Director
Michael Rau

Student Services Manager
Katie Dooling

Finance and Faculty Affairs Administrator
Janet Pineda

Production Manager
Jane Casamajor

Technical Director
Daniel Cadigan

Scenic Technology Lead
Conni Edwards

Costume Shop Lead
Heather Miller

Master Electrician
Kenny McMullen

Cutter/Draper
Emma Vossbrink

Head Carpenter
Brett Cavanaugh

Scenic Technician
Randy Sullins

Craft Artisans
Courtney Morgan, Kyo Yohena

Facilities Manager
Lindsay Martens

Temporary Facilities Manager
Daniel Brooks

Temporary Administrative Associate
Audrey Mitchell

Marketing & Events Director
Stefanie Okuda

Marketing & Events Coordinator
Brendon Martin

Production Photographer
Frank Chen

PRODUCTION PROGRAM