2021: Julius Caesar
North’s one-act cutting of William Shakespeare’s JULIUS CAESAR advanced to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Theatre Festival state finals, where the cast and crew of 39 thespians and technicians swept all award categories. With a unanimous judges’ decicsion, they received the top honor of Critic’s Choice for overall excellence, an Outstanding Ensemble Acting Award, an Outstanding Technical Theatre Award, and a Director’s Award. Ten students received Outstanding Individual Acting Awards including Emily Hodson as Brutus, Eryn Lemmert as Cassius, and D Branstetter, Xander DeTal, Paige Givens, Mason Koffie, Phillip Moran, Emma Nissen, Brianna Skorr, and Ruben Verita as the Chorus of Conscience.
This marked the twenty-third consecutive year North received the top award of Critic’s Choice—the only school in the history of the state competition to achieve such a distinction.
Inspired by the 2018 Stratford Festival production, North’s 40-minute cutting of Shakespeare’s tragedy of ambition, honor, and betrayal was presented from a gender-neutral perspective placing fresh focus on the larger human issues, motivations, and consequences surrounding the conspiracy and assassination of Julius Caesar. Several theatrical techniques were used to enhance the narrative including a “Chorus of Conscience” revealing characters’ thoughts in soliloquy, representational staging, and an original musical score.
“Written over 400 years ago, ‘Julius Caesar’ is one of Shakespeare’s most popular historical tragedies,” said North Theatre Director Ron Parker. “Infused with the Bard's rich, rousing verse, and some of the most iconic characters and lines ever created for the stage, ‘Julius Caesar’ is a heart-stopping political thriller of betrayal, justice, and misguided idealism which continues to be timeless and shockingly relevant today.”
Dress rehearsal photos by Catherine McKenzie of McKenzie Images
