"A gripping yarn, and the capacity of director Barrie, the 11-person cast, and the design team keep the tension and energy high in the outdoor setting of Withrow Park for a nearly two-hour running time is remarkable."

Karen Fricker3.5/4 Stars, Toronto Star, August, 2018

"[Portia's Julius Caesar] casts the entirety of the Bard’s canon in a new light, inviting all to imagine what other plays might look like if given a similar treatment.

Jordan Bimm4/5 N's, NOW Magazine, August, 2018

Portia’s Julius Caesar (2018)

Written by Kaitlyn Riordan & William Shakespeare
Directed by Eva Barrie

As Caesar reaches ambitiously for more power, Brutus, Cassius and a band of conspirators plot to stop him – by bloody means. In this radical adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Kaitlyn Riordan refocuses the classic political thriller on the women of Rome. Portia, Brutus’ wife, tries to keep the peace in Rome, all while protecting her best friend Calpurnia, her new son and the democracy she believes in.

Named one of the Toronto Star’s Nine Best Productions of 2018!

Read a Toronto Star interview with Kaitlyn Riordan (playwright) and Eva Barrie (Director) about rewriting Shakespeare for today

Shakespeare’s Women Take the Spotlight in Portia’s Julius Caesar

Cast

Deborah Drakeford

Deborah Drakeford
Servilia

Nikki Duval

Nikki Duval
Calpurnia

Christine Horne

Christine Horne
Portia

Kwaku Okyere

Kwaku Okyere
Cassius & Washer Woman

Adriano Sobretodo Jr.

Adriano Sobretodo Jr.
Brutus & Washer Woman

Giovanni Spina
Marc Antony & Washer Woman

Tahirih Vejdani
Casca & Soothsayer & Cleopatra

Jeff Yung
Caesar & Washer Woman

Jahnelle Jones- Williams
Young Ruffian Chorus

Troy Sarju
Young Ruffian Chorus

Sienna Singh
Young Ruffian Chorus

Creative & Production Team

Eva Barrie
Director

Jareth Li
Lighting Designer

Rachel Forbes
Set/Costume/Props Designer

Miquelon Rodriguez
Sound Designer & Composer

Eva Barrie & Andrew Joseph Richardson
Dramaturgs

Kate Walker
Producer

David Costello
Production Manager/Technical Director

Tamara Vuckovic
Stage Manager

Amelia Blaine
Assistant Stage Manager

Chelsea Woolley
Front of House Manager

Elizabeth Morris
Deaf Community Consultant

Megan Leahy
Publicist

Caitlin Sullivan
Youth Development Coordinator

Thomas Stoneman
Young Ruffian Director

Nicole Smieja
Marketing/Producing Intern

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz