{"id":180013,"date":"2026-03-05T23:58:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T23:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/180013\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T23:58:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T23:58:48","slug":"all-women-adaptation-of-julius-caesar-shows-plays-themes-still-resonate-today-diversions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/180013\/","title":{"rendered":"All-women adaptation of ‘Julius Caesar’ shows play\u2019s themes still resonate today | Diversions"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 An all-women adaptation of \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d will arrive in time for the Ides of March, running March 12-22 at The Studio@620<\/a>, 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n

General admission tickets are $40 a person, discounts available for studio members, seniors and students. Visit thestudioat620.org\/events\/julius-caesar\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This production will offer a raw, intimate examination of power, loyalty, and civic responsibility at a moment when those questions feel urgently unresolved. Directed by Kristin Clippard and adapted by local award-winning artist Roxanne Fay, the production reframes Shakespeare\u2019s political tragedy through an all-women ensemble, stripping the story of inherited assumptions and exposing the human cost beneath political violence.<\/p>\n

At its core, \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d follows a tight-knit group of senators who fear Caesar\u2019s growing power and decide to act. As their conspiracy unfolds, the play becomes a study of ambition, betrayal, persuasion, and fear \u2014 not as abstract ideas, but as deeply personal choices with irreversible consequences. In this adaptation, conspirators, orators, and citizens alike are portrayed by women, allowing familiar roles to be seen with renewed clarity and urgency.<\/p>\n

The all-women casting is not a novelty, but an intentional artistic intervention. By placing women in roles historically written for men, the production reframes how authority is performed and perceived onstage \u2014 who is trusted, who is believed, and who bears responsibility when institutions fracture. Power is revealed not as gendered, but as systemic and human, shaped by fear, ego, loyalty, and the desire to do what feels necessary in the moment.<\/p>\n

The ensemble brings together some of the sharpest women working across Tampa Bay\u2019s stages today. The cast features Roxanne Fay, Robin Gordon, Sara Nower, Jenna Jane, Alexa Perez, Jada Griffin, Jemier Jenkins, and Jennifer Casler \u2014 artists known for their range, rigor, and commitment to emotionally grounded storytelling. Together, they form a company capable of holding Shakespeare\u2019s language while interrogating its relevance with precision and urgency.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Julius Caesar is often called timeless \u2014 and that\u2019s a sobering reality,\u201d said Fay. \u201cWritten in the sixteenth century, the play remains painfully relevant as a cautionary tale about the corruption of power, unchecked ambition, and the manipulation of public opinion. What feels most urgent today is the reminder that these struggles are not confined to men or to any single group. As women increasingly hold positions of leadership and influence, this story no longer belongs to a male-centric world alone. By reimagining \u2018Julius Caesar\u2019 with an all-women cast, I hope to reveal that the seeds of destruction \u2014 and the potential for repair \u2014 exist within all of us. We all bear witness. We all share responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Director Kristin Clippard emphasized the immediacy of the play\u2019s themes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe questions at the heart of Julius Caesar \u2014 loyalty versus betrayal, liberty versus tyranny, duty versus ambition \u2014 feel impossible to ignore right now,\u201d she said. \u201cWas this play written in 1599, or just last week? Seeing women step into these roles invites audiences to reconsider how power operates and how leadership decisions are shaped by fear, honor, and the human impulse to choose what feels like the least harmful path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than presenting Shakespeare as distant history, the production treats Julius Caesar as a living inquiry into democracy under strain. Themes of polarization, misinformation, civic fear, and eroding public trust resonate sharply with contemporary audiences. The play offers no easy answers; instead, it invites reflection, conversation, and reckoning.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheatre functions as social infrastructure,\u201d said Erica Sutherlin, artistic executive director of The Studio@620<\/a>. \u201cLive performance brings people into a shared, embodied space at a time when disconnection is the norm. Through storytelling, theatre builds empathy, emotional literacy, and civic imagination \u2014 all essential to a healthy community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Audiences may not leave debating whether they \u201cliked\u201d the play. They leave considering power, responsibility, and their own role within the systems that shape collective life. This all-women Julius Caesar uses a classic text to interrogate modern leadership and reminds us that democracy is not inherited \u2014 it is practiced, questioned, and rebuilt by the people within it.<\/p>\n

This production turns Shakespeare\u2019s story of conspiracy and betrayal into a modern warning about how power corrupts and public trust collapses. In an era of polarized politics and viral misinformation, the play reminds us how quickly societies can fracture when fear replaces truth.<\/p>\n

Beyond the stage<\/p>\n

To extend the conversation beyond the stage, The Studio@620<\/a> will host Arts Passport Book Club \u2014 The Silence of the Girls, set for Sunday, March 15, with a 2 p.m. book discussion, followed by a 3 p.m. performance of \u201cJulius Caesar.\u201d<\/p>\n

This community-centered event invites audiences to engage with the themes of \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d through discussion, reflection, and shared space.<\/p>\n

In partnership with The Tampa Bay Arts Passport, March\u2019s book club centers women\u2019s voices in stories of power and war. Participants will read \u201cThe Silence of the Girls\u201d by Pat Barker, a searing retelling of \u201cThe Iliad\u201d told from the perspective of the women enslaved by its heroes. The novel\u2019s examination of violence, agency, and historical silence creates a resonant companion to the exploration of leadership, loyalty, and moral consequence in \u201cJulius Caesar.\u201d<\/p>\n

To sign up for the Arts Passport Book Club event, visit www.tbartspassport.com\/arts-passport-book-club\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About The Studio@620<\/p>\n

For more than 20 years, The Studio@620<\/a> has been a cultural cornerstone in St. Petersburg, a place where creativity, conversation, and community converge. Under the leadership of Artistic Executive Director Erica Sutherlin, the studio is entering a new era with a renewed mission: to ignite cultural vibrancy and propel creative careers by connecting artists, audiences, and collaborators across disciplines. With a commitment to equity, access, and radical imagination, The Studio@620<\/a> provides space for exhibitions, performances, residencies, and community partnerships that reflect and shape the stories of our time.<\/p>\n

Learn more at thestudioat620.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 An all-women adaptation of \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d will arrive in time for the Ides of March,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180014,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[85153,596,202,204,203,199,201,200,21123],"class_list":["post-180013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-julius-caesar","tag-pinellas-county","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-the-studio620"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}