Twenty audience members, now senators, sit at a boardroom table. In front of each are two buttons: aye and no.
Over 90 minutes, they must navigate a complex web of partisan pressure, ideological tension, and public opinion as they shape the outcome of the story unfolding before them and the fate of a Rome that seems increasingly like modern-day Manhattan.
Our project reimagines Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as an immersive, interactive experience. This piece draws on the text’s representation of the moral sacrifices of governance, merging them with historical accounts of the figures represented and the structure and aesthetics of modern state legislatures, calling attention to the vital importance of local government. Further, by giving audience members the power to inflect the narrative, we aim to encourage involvement in politics beyond the federal level.