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Cast and crew announced for Invictus Theatre Company’s season opening JULIUS CAESAR
Modern dress staging to be directed by Charles Askenaizer
CHICAGO – The cast and creative team were announced today for Invictus Theatre Company’s modern dress production of Shakespeare’s JULIUS CAESAR, to be directed by Company Artistic Director Charles Askenaizer. A cast of 15 will play the historical tragedy’s 46 roles, bringing the Bard’s sprawling work to Invictus’s storefront in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. JULIUS CAESAR will open to the press on Monday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m., at the Company’s Reginald Vaughn Theater, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave., Chicago. The production will preview from October 20 to 23 and play through November 20, 2022.
Taking the title role of the popular Roman general assassinated by his compatriots will be Chuck Munro, previously seen as Antonio in Invictus’s THE MERCHANT OF VENICE and most recently as Rev. Winemiller in Violet Sky’s SUMMER AND SMOKE. Mikha’el Amin, previously known as Michael Lewis and remembered for his powerful Invictus performances as Laertes in HAMLET and Walter Lee Younger in A RAISIN IN THE SUN, will play Marc Antony. Daniel Houle, whose credits include roles with TimeLine Theatre, Oak Park Festival, and BoHo Theatre, is the production’s Caius Cassius. Askenaizer, who played the title role in Invictus’s HAMLET, will be the duplicitous Marcus Brutus. The cast also includes Rick Yaconis, Brandon Boler, Charlie Diaz, Joe Feliciano, Joseph Beal, Colin K. Jones, John Chambers, Maria Clara Ospina, Gavin Mueller, Huy Nguyen, and Rachel Livingston. Understudies are Rick Yaconis (Julius Caesar, Caius Cassius), Ben Murphy (Marcus Brutus, others), and Michaela Voit, Ryan Cody, Sheri Reda, and Anthony Augustine.
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Top row left - right: Charles Askenaizer, Joseph Beal, Brandon Boler, John Chambers, Charlie Diaz
Second row left - right: Joe Feliciano, Daniel Houle, Colin K. Jones, Mikha’el Amin, Rachel Livingston
Third row left - right: Gavin Mueller, Chuck Munro, Huy Nguyen, Maria Clara Ospina, Rick Yaconis
Lower row left - right: Anthony Augustine, Ryan Cody, Ben Murphy, Sheri Reda, Michaela Voit
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The creative and production team includes Kevin Rolfs (Set and Props Designer), Emily Bloomer (Costume Designer), Beau Peterson-Quinn (Wardrobe Supervisor), Petter Wahlbäck (Sound Designer), Joe Larkin (Lighting Designer), Jay Donley (Fight/Intimacy Designer), Sarafina Vecchio (Text Coach), Todd Henry Faulstich (Production Manager), Tristan Odenkirk (Associate Director), and Julia Witty (Stage Manager). Steve Nordmark is Box Office/Front of House Manager.
As the first play in Invictus’s season exploring the theme “Rhetoric and Groups,” Askenaizer sees parallels to current events. He says, “JULIUS CAESAR and Marc Antony’s frequently quoted ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen’ speech in which he incites a crowd to violence after the assassination of Caesar has clear parallels to the January 6th rally and its oratory urging citizens to challenge the established government.”
Invictus Theatre Company has, over its six-year history, built a reputation for intimate and honest interpretations of classics with fidelity to the original texts and close attention to character development. The company’s extraordinarily successful 2021-22 season included Askenaizer’s direction of HAMLET, which Albert Williams of the CHICAGO READER called “storefront Shakespeare at its best.” The Jeff Award recommended RUINED, directed by Ebby Offord, was described by NEW CITY’s Ted Fishman as “a treasure to hold on to.” Kathy Hey of THIRD COAST REVIEW said Askenaizer’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (also Jeff Recommended) was “raw, tragic, and unforgettable.”
Tickets for JULIUS CAESAR and Invictus's entire season are available now at www.invictustheatreco.com.
LISTING INFORMATION
JULIUS CAESAR
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Charles Askenaizer
Associate Director: Tristan Odenkirk
October 20 – November 20, 2022
Previews October 20 – 23, 2022
Press Opening: Monday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:00 p.m., Sundays at 3:00 p.m.
Invictus Theatre’s Reginald Vaughn Theater, 1106 W. Thorndale Ave., Chicago
Ticket prices: Previews $25. Regular run: general admission $35, students (with valid student ID) and seniors $30. Three-show season subscription: $75.
www.invictustheatreco.com
When Caesar’s military prowess and mass popularity put absolute power within his reach, political rivals conspire to assassinate him before he can become Emperor. Through demagoguery, they turn public opinion to their favor. Shakespeare’s tragedy is filled with both action and ideas and will be performed in modern dress in Invictus’s intimate storefront Reginald Vaughn Theater.
DIRECTOR BIO
Charles Askenaizer (Artistic Director, Director JULIUS CAESAR) graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Theatre and communications. He has worked professionally in Chicago as an actor, director, and teacher for over 10 years. Recent directing credits include HAMLET (Invictus Theatre), WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?* (Invictus Theatre-*JEFF RECOMMENDED), readings with Chicago Dramatists, 'NIGHT, MOTHER (Associate Director-Invictus Theatre), THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (Invictus Theatre), OTHELLO: THE MOOR OF VENICE (Invictus Theatre), TITUS ANDRONICUS (Bare Knuckles Theater), JULIUS CAESAR (Associate Director- Brown Paper Box) , TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA (Reutan Collective), and THE DIFFERENCE (Reading-Piccolo Theatre). Charles has worked with Citadel Theatre, Teatro Vista, the Artistic Home, City Lit, Raven, Brown Paper Box, Chicago Dramatists, the Side Project and many more.
ABOUT INVICTUS THEATRE COMPANY
At Invictus Theatre Company, our mission is to create theater that promotes a better understanding of language: its poetry, its rhythm, its resonance; through diverse works by diverse artists. We respect the power of heightened language: spoken, written, sung; to express the breadth of the human condition. We work to harness the power of language: to promote diversity, to engender respect, to foster collaboration; and to empower our communities to share their voices.
Invictus Theatre Company incorporated in January 2017 and received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in February 2017. A diverse group of Chicago actors and directors founded Invictus with the vision to empower their communities through theatrical productions of heightened language. We are committed to the idea that our productions should reflect the communities we represent, and, to that end, we are committed to non-discriminatory hiring practices. In working with local artists, designers, and production teams, Invictus Theatre Company does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, nationality, citizenship, religion, or any other status protected by law.
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