Portia’s Julius Caesar represents a radical adaption of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. With a focus on the voices and perspectives of the female characters, this play follows the stories of Portia and Calpurnia, two powerful women married to Rome's most influential men, Brutus and Caesar. While Calpurnia makes sacrifices to the gods to conceive for the first time, Portia is battling to understand her experience as a mother within a politically influential family.
Portia’s Julius Caesar is a provocative work of theatre that explores historical as well as contemporary ideas of fertility, female empowerment, and familial ties alongside the historical reality of political uprisings. The play delves into familiar dramatical themes as it is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, but it juxtaposes the essence of the original text with all that has happened in the world since 1599, when Shakespeare adapted this story from 44 B.C.
Prior to the production audience members were invited to engage with the virtual and/or physical engagement space. Doors will opened 30 minutes prior to the performance so the audience could engage with the installation that reflects Portia’s Julius Caesar theatrical points of emphasis. In the theatre gallery, spectators were invited to immerse themselves in a thematic display meant to extend the world of the play to the world right in front of them.
Written by: Kaitlyn Riordan
Directed by: Sorouja Moll and Andy Houston
Performances: March 22 – 25, 2023
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Matinee: March 24 at 2:00 p.m.
Venue: Theatre of the Arts, Modern Languages Building
Cast
Emily Ashton Radcliffe (Portia Noblewoman)
Colleen Macaulay (Calpurnia Noblewoman)
Anna Whitehead (Servilia Noblewoman)
Morgaine Mcevoy (Ester)
Erin Keaveney (Vera)
Yizhu Chen (Cecilia)
Aris Meek (Jurtha)
Jaime Borromeo (Mark Antony)
Connor Mckechnie (Marcus Brutus)
Stephanie Svenson (Caius Cassius)
Patrick Cooper (Julius Caesar)
Nick Patel (Metellus Cimber)
Nathan Fishcer (Trebonius)
Linus Ma (Cinna)
Production Team
Co-Director - Sorouja Moll
Co-Director - Andy Houston
Set & Props Designer - William Schmuck
Costume Designer - Nadine Grant
Associate Costume Designer - Meghan Bruce
Lighting Designer - Louise Guinand
Sound Designer - Colin Labadie
Associate Costume Designer - Wanda Kidd
Playwright - Kaitlyn Riordan
Production Manger - Janelle Rainville
Technical Director - Christopher Greenhalgh
Assistant Production Manager - Monica Durlak
Designer Coordinator - Paul Cegys
Props Builder / Buyer - Shaw Forgeron
Lighting Supervisor - Emma Alderman
Sound Mentor - Carlos Fernandez
Stage Manager - Cameron Slipp
ASM of Wardrobe - Hailey Kennedy
Vocal Coach - Meghan Bunce
Acting Coach - David Leyshon
Head of Carps / Paint - Jasmine Rajaballey
Head of Wardrobe - Jacqueline Meldrum
Head of Lighting - Stephen Mcgarry
Co-Head of Audio-Visuals - Lilian Adom
Co-Head of Audio-Visuals - Sky Wang
Publicity & Outreach Associate (Coop) - Lillian Morales-Marenco
Publicity & Outreach Assistant - Amanda Rivera
Publicity & Outreach Assistant - Myles Chan
Box Office & Front of House Manager - Melissa Zarnke
Dramaturg - Paula Bornacelli
Dramaturg - Miranda Chen
Dramaturg - Emily Radcliffe
Dramaturg - Anna Whitehead
Dramaturg - Colleen Macaulay
Dramaturg - Katherine Sill
Dramaturg - Connor Mckechnie
Dramaturg - Jaime Borromeo
Crew
Carpentry / Paint - Abhishek Bommali
Wardrobe - Aria Scherbovic
Wardrobe - Chloe Bai
Lighting - Devon Maclean
Wardrobe - Hanna Freitas
Lighting - Manaswinee Gupta
Carpentry / Paint - Paula Bornacelli
Lighting - Si Chen
Lighting - Talia Dmitrienko
Carpentry / Paint - Zaniq King
Special Thanks
Kaitlyn Riordan
Cody Burns
Wendy Philpott
Ryan Mitchell
Ralph Rajaballey
Athena Ip
Cinthya Tran