Six York women will form the Chorus of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s touring production of Julius Caesar when it comes to York Theatre Royal.
The six women – Hilary Conroy, Astrid Hanlon, Elaine Harvey, Stephanie Hesp, Anna Johnston and Frances Simon – are all inspirational leaders within the community, and have roles across a wide range of areas such as activism, charity and social work, teaching and coaching.
The RSC’s production of Shakespeare’s political thriller Julius Caesar is at York Theatre Royal from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 June 2023.
The local music director will be Jessa Liversidge with Zoe Colven-Davies as chorus coordinator.
Jessa Liversidge has a wealth of experience with community choirs, inclusive singing groups and working with people of all ages to inspire them through music.
Juliet Forster, Creative Director at York Theatre Royal said, “It is a huge privilege for us to have these voices heard alongside the RSC’s actors, and we are so thankful for their input and commitment to the project.
“This production explores what makes a leader and asks questions about gender and power. Who better to take part than women who are already leaders in our community and in their workplace?
“The opportunity is exciting and empowering, and is strong evidence of how committed the RSC is to meaningful collaboration with their regional theatre partners. We are incredibly proud to be able to contribute a local perspective into this nationwide conversation, and I can’t wait to see what our York women do.”
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Julius Caesar is directed by the award-winning Atri Banerjee, and the RSC production features several re-imagined roles, such as Brutus and Cassius.
Atri Banerjee said: “Along with several other parts across the company, we’ve re-imagined the roles of Brutus and Cassius to tell a story about power today: who holds it, who wields it, and who gets to challenge it.
“By thinking of the roles in this play across intersectional lines – gender, race, class, disability, among others – we’re inviting audience members to think of their own place within the status quo and what might be at stake for each of us within it.”
The show stars Nigel Barrett as Julius Caesar, Thalissa Teixeira as Brutus, Annabel Baldwin as Cassius, and William Robinson as Mark Antony.
Tickets start from £15 and are available via the York Theatre Royal website.