There are never enough female roles in Shakespeare's plays. So in this production, we're setting an all-female cast loose on one of Shakespeare's most popular tragedies!
Although ISC has often cast women in male roles, and last year presented an all-female cast in Desdemona, Paula Vogel's modern feminist take on Othello, this will be the company's first Shakespeare play featuring an all-female cast. The cast includes several actors who are new to the company as well as those familiar to audiences from previous ISC shows.
On a purely practical level, we wanted to give some very talented women a chance to play more of these great Shakespearean roles. At the same time, casting women in these parts challenges our expectations about gender roles and the construction of masculinity and femininity both within the play and in our own lives. And as usual in Shakespeare, the political issues raised by the play have a lot of resonance in our modern world — especially during election season...
"When women inhabit these male characters, it helps bring the violent and honor-obsessed world of the play into sharper focus," says director Amina Omari. "Of course, in a world where so many female roles are underwritten, it's also thrilling to watch a talented cast of women scheme, swashbuckle, and fully embrace the spotlight."
Directed by Amina Omari, with fight choreography by Holly Adams. Starring Judith Andrew, Camilla Schade, Katie Wallace, Rachel Fichter, Lisa VillaMil, Adrienne Huffman, Danielle Bates, Lisa Frank, Marissa Biondolillo, Melissa Snyder, Emily Howes, Ivy Stevens, Claire Roberson, Christina Brewington, and Lili Aguirre. Produced by Paige Anderson.
Julius Caesar was the first in a series of studio productions, fully staged but smaller in scale than our main season shows. They will allow us to explore approaches that might not be feasible for our main season shows while creating opportunities for more actors, directors, and designers to work with us.
