FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACT:
CSC Communications Manager
Nia June, 410-244-8571 x119
june@chesapeakeshakespeare.com

CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY IN-THE-RUINS PRESENTS
JULIUS CAESAR

Baltimore, MD (5.15.2025) — This summer, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company closes its 2024–2025 season In-The-Ruins with a fierce and fast-moving Julius Caesar, opening June 13 and running through July 20. Performed at the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park, CSC’s summer home in Historic Ellicott City, this production transforms a timeless political thriller into a majestic, midsummer pleasure under the stars.

This marks CSC’s 21st season of outdoor theatre at the PFI, a beloved regional tradition where performance and place become inseparable. These events are more than plays, they are experiences that foster community fellowship. Kids get in free, and guests are encouraged to bring picnics and wine — or reserve one of the popular Family or Date-Night tables.

Directed by Marcus Kyd, founding member of D.C.’s Taffety Punk Theatre Company, CSC’s Julius Caesar reimagines Shakespeare’s charged tale of ambition, loyalty, and civic unrest against the raw grandeur of the Ruins. At the heart of the story is the assassination of Julius Caesar — an act meant to save Rome that instead plunges it into chaos as rival leaders vie for control. The Ellicott City site’s weathered stone and open-air layout make a prime canvas for this conspiracy, crafting a Capitol that is as extraordinary as it is unraveling.

"The death of Julius Caesar is one of those irrevocable points in human history that affects the shape of all that follows, directly and indirectly.” Says Kyd, “In Shakespeare’s story, we walk among the figures involved in what amounts to a high-stakes political thriller. Here are the most epic and crucial questions we could face on the entanglement of our public and private lives. I am thrilled to be working with the cast to tell this story.”

The staging is purposefully elemental, stripped to its essentials, relying on the architecture of the text and the actor’s expertise. The soundscape is performed live each night, with instruments and voice underscoring the action in real time. Lighting is approached in the same fashion: performances begin close to sunset — 7:30 PM on Thursdays, 8:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 6:00 PM on Sundays — allowing the production to draw on nature’s most evocative and cinematic lighting design.

“Our summer home at the beautiful PFI delights audiences summer after summer. Settled under the trees, you will find no more magical place to watch Shakespeare.” says CSC’s Producing Executive Director Lesley Malin.

Sunday performances are Family Fun Days. Each Sunday, the gates open at 4:30pm for the company’s signature summer experience tailored for children. CSC will provide live music and pre-show storytelling for young children. Kids will also be able to partake in arts and crafts, costume try-ons, and a festive maypole dance.

Whether longtime fans of the Bard or newcomers to Shakespeare’s language, all are welcome to unplug and tune in to this living forum. With sharp pacing, and CSC’s magic touch, Julius Caesar is sure to offer a magnificent and unforgettable summer memory.

For interviews, images, or further information, please contact Nia June at june@chesapeakeshakespeare.com.

PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Julius Caesar
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Marcus Kyd

LOCATION
The Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park is located at 3655 Church Road, Ellicott City, MD 21043. Parking for the Patapsco Female Institute Historic Park is located at 3691 Sarah’s Lane, Ellicott City, MD, 21043. Gates and ticket tent will open 90 minutes prior to curtain.

TICKETS
Adult tickets start at $50, tickets for youth 25 and under start at $25, and preview tickets are $25. Kids get in free (limit of two per adult ticket).

To purchase tickets, visit ChesapeakeShakespeare.com, or contact the Box Office directly by calling 410-244-8570 or visiting in person at 7 South Calvert Street. Discounts are available for groups of ten or more and active-duty military. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ChesShakes.com/Caesar.

DATES AND TIMES
Wednesday, June 11 at 8:00 PM - Preview
Thursday, June 12 at 8:00 PM - Preview
Friday, June 13 at 8:00 PM - Opening/Press Night
Saturday, June 14 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, June 15 at 6:00 PM - Family Fun Day
Friday, June 20 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 21 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, June 22 at 6:00 PM - Family Fun Day
Friday, June 27 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, June 28 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, June 29 at 6:00 PM - Family Fun Day
Thursday, July 3 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 5 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, July 6 at 6:00 PM - Family Fun Day
Thursday, July 10 at 7:30 PM
Friday, July 11 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, July 13 at 6:00 PM - Family Fun Day
Thursday, July 17 at 7:30 PM
Friday, July 18 at 8:00 PM
Saturday, July 19 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, July 20 at 6:00 PM - Family Fun Day

CAST LIST
Marcus Brutus – Jose O. Guzman *
Caia Cassius – Laura Artesi
Mark Antony – Gabriel Alejandro *
Casca – Dawn Thomas Reidy *
Julius Caesar – DeJeanette Horne *
Portia/Messenger/1st Plebeian – Sandy Borrero
Metellus Cimber/Artemidorus/Marullus/4th Plebeian – Elgin Martin
Decius Brutus/Cobbler/Lepidus – Gary DuBreuil
Octavia/Trebonius/Flavia/2nd Plebeian – Hana Clarice
Calphurnia/Popilius Lena/Pindarus/3rd Plebeian – Molly Moores
Lucilia/Soothsayer/Attendant to Caesar/Octavia's Page – Kate Forton
Lucius – Luke Douglas

CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Marcus Kyd
Assistant Director – Shayna Freedman
Stage Manager – Maria Wraback
Assistant Stage Manager – Colin Maher
Production Assistant – Rebecca Sherber
Set and Lighting Design – Dan O'Brien *
Costume Design – Elizabeth Morton
Costume Design Assistant – Hannah Brill
Props Artisan – Caitlin Bouxsein
Fight Director – Lorraine Ressegger Slone
Music Director – Grace Srinivasan *
Dance/Movement Choreographer – Lorraine Ressegger Slone
Intimacy Director – Lorraine Ressegger Slone
Technical Director – Dan O'Brien *
Assistant Technical Director – Chester Stacy *
Senior House Manager - Pamela Forton *

* CSC Company Member

ABOUT CHESAPEAKE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Founded in 2002 Chesapeake Shakespeare Company brings great classic theatre to Baltimore, Howard County, the state of Maryland, and beyond. The company offers performances of Shakespeare and other plays of classic stature that are unforgettable, challenging, and innovative. In 2012, Chesapeake Shakespeare Company acquired the Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust Company building in downtown Baltimore, renovating it into a modern Globe Theater for indoor performances, while continuing to produce outdoor Shakespeare every summer at the PFI Historic Park in Howard County. The organization regularly serves 30,000+ people annually through artistic projects and intentional community engagement. CSC’s vibrant education program includes an extensive matinee series, camps, classes, and in and out-of-school residencies.