Babes With Blades Theatre to Begin Performances of All-Female JULIUS CAESAR, 3/9

William Shakespeare's tale of betrayal, power, and manipulation will be performed by an all-female cast in Babes With Blades Theatre Company's production of Julius Caesar at Raven Theatre West Stage, 6157 N. Clark St.

Previews will be Saturday, March 9, Friday, March 15, and Saturday, March 16 at 8:30PM; Sunday, March 10 and Sunday, March 17 at 3:30PM. The Press opening is Monday, March 18 at 8PM, and the show will run Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:30PM and Sundays at 3:30PM from March 21-April 20.

Julius Caesar is directed by Wyatt Kent, and the cast features BWBTC ensemble members Alison Dornheggen, Kim Fukawa, Kimberly Logan, and Jennifer L. Mickelson, as well as guest artists Diana Coates, Catherine Dvorak, Ashley Fox, Sara Gorsky, Kalina "Kitten" McCreery, Aila Peck, and Maureen Yasko. Ensemble member Libby Beyreis is the Violence Designer.

Tickets: $20 general admission; $12 students and seniors; $8 previews. Available at babeswithblades.org or 773-904-0391.

On Thursday, March 21, join the cast, crew, and company as they celebrate with the League of Chicago Theatres at a Theatre Thursday event. More details will be forthcoming as they are confirmed.

The production will be BWBTC's third Shakespeare play with an all-female cast since they began this biennial tradition in 2009, so they are very familiar with some of the inherent challenges with this process. "Sometimes, when playing these characters, we have to ask, 'How do I act this differently as a woman?' when diving in," Artistic Director Leigh Barrett says, "Even though we always approach the characters as human beings first, that same question always seems to come up." Happily, Julius Caesar takes a bit of The Edge off of this particular hurdle: "While I wouldn't call the characters 'genderless,' their sexuality is not at the center. They're politicians who are fighting to keep their power at a time when they're essentially losing it and desperately trying to justify their actions, ethically." Barrett points out.

The Julius Caesar design and production team includes BWBTC ensemble members Leigh Barrett (Lighting Designer/co-Production Manager), Libby Beyreis (Violence Designer), Amy E. Harmon (co-Production Manager) and Kjerstine Humiston (Stage Manager). Guest artists are Kimberly Morris (Costume Designer), Grant Sabin (Set Designer), Melissa Schlesinger (Sound Designer), and David Blixt (Dramaturg).

Babes With Blades Theatre Company uses stage combat to place women and their stories center stage. Through performance, script development, training, and outreach, our ensemble creates theatre that explores the wide range of the human experience, and cultivates broader perspectives in the arts community and in society as a whole.

Pictured: Maureen Yasko (Caesar), Sara Gorsky (Cassius), Diana Coates (Antony). Photo Credit: Steven Townshend.