{"id":216508,"date":"2026-04-02T20:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T20:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/216508\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T20:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T20:30:20","slug":"lab-theater-modernizes-julius-caesar-to-appeal-to-a-broader-and-younger-audience-wgcu-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/216508\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab Theater modernizes ‘Julius Caesar’ to appeal to a broader and younger audience | WGCU News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us had to read Shakespeare in high school. Actor Justin Larsche had to \u2026 even though he went to trade school for plumbing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought Shakespeare was the most un-understandable thing that I would ever read or try to attempt to watch,\u201d Larsche said. \u201cThe Leonardo DiCaprio \u2018Romeo and Juliet\u2019 \u2026 was entertaining, but I couldn’t understand any of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, he\u2019s gone on to play Count Orsino in \u201cTwelfth Night,\u201d the monster Caliban in \u201cThe Tempest,\u201d and now Marc Antony in Lab Theater\u2019s production of \u201cJulius Caesar.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what changed?<\/p>\n

\u201cI had senior English and had the most awesome teacher ever, and we read \u2026 Macbeth,\u201d said Larsche. \u201cI had no idea at that point that I would or could become an actor, but I was challenged with learning the \u2018Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow\u2019 monologue. I did it in like a night and held onto that for years until I turned about 30, 32 when I actually got into theater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Justin<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Justin Larsche in the role of Marc Antony delivers Caesar’s eulogy. <\/p>\n

In other words, he went from passively reading to actively emoting the words appearing on the page.<\/p>\n

Ryan Adair plays Brutus in \u201cJulius Caesar.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says it\u2019s the acting that transforms Shakespeare\u2019s language into what audiences can readily understand \u2026 when they see the performance onstage.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people talk about, oh, Shakespeare is hard to understand,\u201d Adair conceded. \u201cWhile that is true, perhaps if you’re reading it \u2026 We study it. We digest it. We dissect it. And then we take the feelings and emotions being conveyed in that scene and present it. So, watching it and reading it are two very, very different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Ryan Adair in the role of Marc Antony in Lab Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar.’ <\/p>\n

To make \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d even more understandable, Lab Theater has modernized the setting, moving it from ancient Rome to present day, reducing the cast from 27 to 9 actors, shortening the play to a tad over 90 minutes and placing it in the context of a radio show broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlex and Nicki have worked really hard … our directors have worked hard on abridging it, but keeping the \u2026 famous speeches,\u201d Adair noted.<\/p>\n

One such speech is Portia\u2019s monologue imploring her husband, Brutus, to share the secret that\u2019s troubling him, namely his conspiracy to murder Caesar.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s more than iconoclastic speeches that render Shakespeare relevant more than 400 years after his death.<\/p>\n

\"Shelley<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Shelley Sanders in the titular role in ‘Julius Caesar’ said Shakespeare remains relevant to modern audiences because of his keen insight into human nature and interpersonal relationships. <\/p>\n

Shelley Sanders, who plays Caesar in the Lab production, says it\u2019s the Bard\u2019s insight into human nature and interpersonal relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because people tell you something doesn’t mean they have your best interest at heart, which is a fatal flaw that Caesar has because \u2026 she likes flatterers, and that ultimately leads to their demise,\u201d Sanders observed. \u201cAnd that’s something you should take to the real world as well. Just because people tell you what you want to hear, that doesn’t mean they have your best interest at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Master<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Master manipulator Marc Antony (Justin Larsche) uses Caesar’s will to turn the masses against Brutus and his co-conspirators. <\/p>\n

One phenomenon that Shakespeare knew well and explored often is manipulation.<\/p>\n

In \u201cJulius Caesar,\u201d Marc Antony manipulates Brutus and his co-conspirators and whips up the masses to avenge Caesar\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you really look at what’s going on, it’s pretty simple to see that people are easily manipulated, and you really need to know yourself and know your own ideas and standards,\u201d Larsche maintained. \u201cAnd yeah, don’t listen to the media because people are always going to try to influence you to do what they see fit, worship who they \u2026 want you to worship. Follow who they want you to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJulius Caesar\u201d is onstage at the Laboratory Theater of Florida through April 26.<\/p>\n

\"Scene<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

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WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Scene in which Marc Antony (Justin Larsche, center) confronts Brutus and his co-conspirators shortly after their murder of Caesar. <\/p>\n

MORE INFORMATION:<\/p>\n

Every modern nation boasts about the great writers who depict and define the national life and character: Victor Hugo for the French, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for the Germans, Leo Tolstoy for the Russians, Herman Melville and Mark Twain for Americans and Shakespeare for the British.<\/p>\n

William Shakespeare is widely considered to be the greatest dramatist of all time, with plays that transcend centuries. However, the changing history between these centuries can leave his work too complex for the average student.<\/p>\n

Most contemporary exposure to Shakespeare is reduced to awkward readings in high school English classes that make Shakespeare feel impossible to understand. Yet, some of the most critically acclaimed rom coms of our time are adaptations of Shakespeare plays. \u201c10 Things I Hate About You\u201d is \u201cThe Taming of the Shrew.\u201d \u201cShe\u2019s the Man\u201d is \u201cTwelfth Night.\u201d \u201cHigh School Musical\u201d is loosely patterned after \u201cRomeo and Juliet.\u201d<\/p>\n

This suggests that the universal themes touched on in Shakespeare’s plays still matter to young audiences 400 years later, they just need to be seen in a different light.<\/p>\n

Shakespeare\u2019s popularity had peaks in the 1890s and 1950s, then took a downward turn before rebounding in the 1980s. His reach is now as wide as ever. \u201cShakespeare has become a global icon,\u201d Jonathan Bate wrote as the world celebrated his 450th birthday in 2014.<\/p>\n

For more, listen\/read, \u201cLab Theater\u2019s \u2018Julius Caesar\u2019 will be groundbreaking in cast and setting.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Ryan Adair (center) as Brutus formulates plan to kill Caesar on her way to the Senate (pictured with Abby Seeley, Greg Wojciechowski and Christian Rivero).<\/p>\n

More on Ryan Adair<\/p>\n

Ryan Adair loved Shakespeare as a kid, just not \u201cJulius Caesar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember sophomore year reading \u2018Julius Caesar,\u2019 and I was really bored by it,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn’t really understand it. I felt it was really political as a 15-year-old kid. But I loved \u2018Hamlet.\u2019 I thought it was fascinating. Senior year I wrote a paper about him and could easily understand it. Then fast forward to when I was 30 years old. That was the first Shakespeare show I ever did. I played Horatio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noting that there\u2019s a world of difference between reading Shakespeare and watching it performed onstage in an intimate theater setting, Adair encourages people to give the Lab\u2019s production of \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d a chance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if people sit in a theater and watch a performance of Shakespeare, they\u2019ll one hundred percent understand everything that’s happening,\u201d he predicted. \u201cThe language is all there. You just have to follow where we’re going with it, and that’s not hard to do. In fact, it\u2019s our job to make sure that the audience can follow what we’re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Ryan Adair and Shelley Sanders as Brutus and Julius Caesar in the famous ‘et tu Brute’ scene during Caesar’s assassination. <\/p>\n

Adair anticipates that the play\u2019s modern setting will also aid audiences in understanding the play and appreciating its intrigue. But more than that, he thinks directors Alex Lago and Nykkie Rizley have come up with a clever way of easing audiences into the heart of the action.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning, the show begins as a radio drama of sorts,\u201d Adair pointed out. \u201cAnd then, as we get deeper and deeper into the drama, it comes alive similar to when Dorothy arrives in the land of Oz, and the film goes from black and white to color. That’s what the goal here with this production. As we start out, we\u2019re just a troupe of actors reading off scripts. Then the further and deeper we get into the production, it comes alive and the narrative takes over the whole stage. And doing that in 90 minutes, the story is all there. The key characters and the plot points are all there. But it’s nice to do it in one setting and not drag it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Ryan Adair as Brutus in the aftermath of Caesar’s assassination<\/p>\n

Ryan Adair is a Lab Theater board member, news manager at Gulf Coast News and three-time Emmy Award-winning television producer (and six-time Emmy nominee) who currently serves as the assistant news director for the local Southwest Florida ABC and NBC network affiliates. He holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia College Chicago. During his 20-year career as a TV producer and executive producer has worked around the country for CBS, FOX, ABC, and NBC network affiliates. Originally from the Portland, Maine, area, Adair has been involved in theater since the age of 12, acting in more than two dozen shows in northern New England regional theaters. Since relocating to SWFL in 2017, he has appeared on the Lab stage a handful of times (Paul Sheldon in \u201cMisery\u201d and Ansel in “Killer Joe,\u201d which marked his Lab Theater debut), as well as with other local theater companies. Ryan lives in Fort Myers with his wife, Jen, who is a licensed mental health therapist.<\/p>\n

\"Justin<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Justin Larsche and Shelley Sanders during radio broadcast portion of Lab Theater’s modernized production of ‘Julius Caesar’ <\/p>\n

More on Justin Larsche<\/p>\n

Justin Larsche\u2019s stage credits include \u201cGrey House\u201d (Lab Theater), Joe in Tracy Letts\u2019 \u201cKiller Joe\u201d (Lab Theater), Jason in Lynn Nottage\u2019s dark comedy \u201cClyde\u2019s\u201d (Lab Theater), the monster, Caliban, in Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cThe Tempest\u201d for Lab Theater (a 17th century character that presaged JRR Tolkien\u2019s Smeagol (Gollum), Mark in \u201cThe Shadow Box\u201d (New Phoenix Theatre), Sheriff of Nottingham in \u201cMarian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood\u201d (Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance for the Arts), lovestruck lawyer Burnette Lloyd in Beth Henley\u2019s Southern Gothic tragi-comedy \u201cCrimes of the Heart,\u201d \u201cBody and Sold,\u201d Count Orsino in Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cTwelfth Night\u201d and Larry in Patric Marber\u2019s \u201cCloser\u201d (in which he performed opposite Shelley Sanders for the first time).<\/p>\n

\"Justin<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Justin Larsche as Brutus mourns the death of his friend, Caesar. <\/p>\n

Larsche has also gained experience performing in Lab Theater\u2019s 2018 24-Hour Playwriting Project (he was a cast member in Candice Sanzari\u2019s Critics\u2019 Choice winner, \u201cThanksgiving is for Nutters\u201d), on board the Murder Mystery Dinner Train, and as a member of his own character entertainment company, Heroes and Villains.<\/p>\n

Larsche has also appeared in two short films for Godbout Entertainment, “Obsession” in 2019 (which is available on YouTube) and as a Russian mobster named Yuri in 2014 in “The Trade.”<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

The moment Caesar (Shelley Sanders) realizes she is about to be killed. <\/p>\n

More on Shelley Sanders<\/p>\n

Shelley Sanders\u2019 acting credits include both dramatic, comedic and musical theater roles, including the role of Petunia in \u201cClown Bar\u201d (thrice), Sophia in \u201cSharing the Same Umbrella,\u201d \u201cEula Mae\u2019s Beauty, Bait & Tackle,\u201d \u201cFarce of Nature\u201d (Off Broadway Palm), Henrietta Leavitt in \u201cThe Women Who Mapped the Stars\u201d in the Caloosa Nature Center Planetarium, John Wesley Powell in \u201cMen in Boats,\u201d Amy Lee in the Alliance for the Arts\u2019 outdoor production of \u201cLaundry and Bourbon,\u201d Brooke in the filmed theatrical production of \u201cRealish Housewives of Fort Myers\u201d for Lab Theater (during COVID pandemic), a variety of roles in Ken Ludwig\u2019s \u201cBaskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,\u201d Columbia in \u201cRichard O\u2019Brien\u2019s Rocky Horror Show\u201d (New Phoenix Theatre), the lead in \u201cMarian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood\u201d (Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance), Minka Lupino in \u201cMurderers,\u201d Marjorie in \u201cHand to God\u201d (Lab Theater), Marjorie Pinchwife in \u201cThe Country Wife\u201d (Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance), Bitsy Mae Harling in \u201cSordid Lives\u201d (Lab Theater), Miss Georgia Katherine Chelsea Hartford in \u201cThe Taming\u201d (Theatre Conspiracy at the Alliance), \u201c39 Steps\u201d (Cultural Park), Lulu in \u201cCabaret\u201d (Lab Theater), Cassie in \u201cA Chorus Line\u201d (Creative Theater Workshop) Dinah in \u201cSouth Pacific\u201d (Cultural Park), Grace Farrell and Lilly St. Regis in \u201cAnnie,\u201d \u201cMona in Chicago\u201d and Fermina in \u201cMan of LaMancha.\u201d
She also played Bianca in \u2018The Taming of the Shrew\u201d for College of the Mainland in between Galveston and Houston. It was 1999 and she was still a high school student at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got cast in the play because they wanted a younger Bianca,\u201d Sanders explained. \u201cIt was great. It was a lot of fun, but very different. A very different show than \u2018Julius Caesar,\u2019 for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that was the last time she performed Shakespeare. <\/p>\n

Until \u201cJulius Caesar,\u201d in which she plays the titular role.<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

In addition to line load and Shakespeare’s archaic language, split-second fight scene choreography challenged actor Shelley Sanders in her portrayal of the character of Julius Caesar. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a little harder for me to memorize the lines than it was 25-plus years ago because they’re written in a little bit more archaic English,\u201d said Sanders. \u201cOf course, we know Shakespeare, but it’s been a really amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Shelley<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Shelley Sanders as Julius Caesar being beaten and stabbed to death in assassination scene midway through the play<\/p>\n

Sanders appreciates The Lab\u2019s efforts to streamline and modernize Shakespeare\u2019s text.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a malleable script,\u201d Sanders observed. \u201cYou can take a little bit more liberty [with it] than some of the more modern pieces. Modernizing the setting is certainly going to be a little bit more relatable to maybe some younger audiences, but everyone’s a younger audience when it comes to Shakespeare because it was written so long ago.”<\/p>\n

She acknowledged that some would find Shakespeare\u2019s verbiage off-putting.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think they’re going to know what’s going on because of how this is staged. It makes it pretty clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sanders,<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

\/<\/p>\n

WGCU Arts Reporter Tom Hall <\/p>\n

Sanders, Daniel Sabiston, Larsche and Greg Wojciechowski in radio broadcast portion of Lab Theater’s modern production of ‘Julius Caesar’ <\/p>\n

The rest of the cast<\/p>\n

The rest of the cast includes Rivero, Derek Kemp (“The Watcher”), Greg Wojciechowski (“Southern Fried Funeral,” “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” “Young Frankenstein,” “On Golden Pond”), Marja Murawski, Abby Seeley (“Grey House,” “The Minutes”), Roslyn Kellogg (“Grey House” and Daniel Sabiston (“Yippee Ki-Yay Merry Christmas A Die Hard Musical Parody,” “Save Hamlet,” “The Play That Goes Wrong,” “The Birds: A Parody”).<\/p>\n

Support for WGCU\u2019s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most of us had to read Shakespeare in high school. Actor Justin Larsche had to \u2026 even though…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":216509,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-216508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216508","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=216508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}