Julius Caesar • 2013 - Chicago Shakespeare Theater

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Preparing for
the performance
AS A CLASS
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Great Expectations
Before seeing the production, individually or as a class, create a list of expectations and what you hope to see
when you watch Chicago Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. After the show, discuss whether or not your views about
the play or any of the characters changed. If so, how? Try to be very specific about moments in the action that
affected you. CONSIDER COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS SL2, W9
Justify Your Movement
Part of the actor’s job is learning why his character does what he does. Everything from taking a sip of water to
sitting down is carefully thought through by both performer and director. Clear some space in your classroom
and pull one chair out into the open space. First, move the chair around with no motivation or reason in mind.
Now try moving your chair as Caesar might, or Brutus, or Calphurnia—as any of the characters from Julius Caesar
might perform such a task. Now move the chair again as if this same character were angry, in love, or depressed.
Using their personalities to inform your movements, notice how much more interesting it is to simply move a
chair when you’re concentrating on how another person might do it. When you watch the production at Chicago
Shakespeare, keep an eye out for how and why the actors do these simple tasks and see what it tells you about
their characters. How does the text support these decisions? Are there times when you would argue that these
staging decisions are not supported by the text? CONSIDER COMMON CORE ANCHOR STANDARDS R1, R6
IN SMALL GROUPS/PAIRS
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The Director’s Chair
Designers play a critical role in the interpretation of a play. The decisions they make about costume, set design,
props, sound, and music must work logically in conjunction with the director’s vision of the production. The visual
and tactile elements of the costumes and the sets help set the mood for the audience watching the play, as do
sounds and music. What do you think Julius Caesar’s Rome is like? In what time period will you set the play?
What pace and style of music will accompany the scenes? Use magazines, catalogues and the Internet to find
ideas and pictures, as well as the “Performance History” essay from this handbook to help you.
Julius Caesar • 2013