The Ottawa Shakespeare Company was founded in 2010 to bring contemporary and accessible Shakespeare to Ottawa. This year, they’re staging a contemporary and interactive version of the Shakespeare tragedy, Julius Caesar.
A short preview scene from Ottawa Shakepeare Company’s Julius Caesar:
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Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a portrayal of the 44BC assassination and betrayal of Julius Caesar, he would be emperor of Rome. The production will incorporate video, music and voluntary audience participation to bring to Ottawa a truly unique and interactive theatre experience.
“Julius Caesar will be a theatre first in Ottawa,” says Charles McFarland, OSC Founder and the play’s director. “The creative use of technology and innovative staging - including opportunities for audience participation in the large public scenes of the play - is bringing to Ottawa an experience only available to New York and London theatre-goers until now.”
Julius Caesar will run from Wednesday, October 24 to Saturday November 3, 2012 at the Centrepointe Studio Theatre. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m.; with an additional matinee set November 3 at 2:30 p.m. General admission ticket prices vary from $20 to $30, with the first 100 tickets for each show being sold for only $10. There is also limited reserved seating for $40 a ticket and an opportunity for select audience members to take part in an early scene in the show.
The Ottawa Shakespeare Company‘s presentation of Julius Caesar was directed by Charles McFarland and stars a familiar face on Canadian Television, Eugene Clark, in the titular role. (Clark also played The Lion King’s Mufasa for two year in Toronto.) It also stars Michael Mancini, Brad Long, Diego Arvelo, Katie Bunting, Mac Fyfe, Richard Gélinas, Jonah Allingham, Sarah McVie, Spencer Robson, Stavros Sakiadis and David DaCosta.
If you’d like to be a participant in the show, you need to let the box office know when you book your tickets. You’ll need to arrive one half hour before the show time to receive your instructions and will then form part of the first scene of the play. Full details available on the Centrepointe Theatre website.
Other Media
Production Ottawa review of Julius Caesar and The Participant Experience! (a Production Ottawa insider report)
The Dogs of War (Visitorium)
Contemporary Razzle-Dazzle that captures the Heart… (Capital Critics)
(If you know of any press not listed here, leave us a comment or send us a note.)
What do you think? Have you or will you see the show? Tell us in the comments below
Preview article prepared by Allan Mackey. With information from the official release and website.
Video prepared by Valley Wind Productions.
I think that the ticket prices that you state are incorrect. Last night the general admission price was $13.75. Reserved seating in the gallery is $40. Also the audience participants were in the show all the way through not just the first scene.
By the way, I really enjoyed it. It was a well-acted visually stunning production.
technically correct: prices are $10 per ticket for the first 100 tickets to each show (Saturday October 27 has sold out of those, so the price goes up to $20) but the Capital Tickets online system adds a ticket processing fee of $3.75! Ottawa Shakespeare Co has no control over that, I’m afraid.
If you want a reserved, numbered seat - in the gallery, if you don’t want “General Admission” seating downstairs or be a Participant - that’s $40. Thanks and come and see the show!