+ Performances
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+ FAQ
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Is this show suitable for children?
While not appropriate for very young children, given scenes of violence and representations of death, the spectacle of CAESAR MAXIMUS will be engaging and suitable for children 10+. Ultimately we leave the decision to parental discretion, but cannot accommodate children under 6.

How long is CAESAR MAXIMUS?
About two and a half hours, there is no intermission.
Restrooms are accessible before the show begins, but not during the performance.

How accessible is this production?
The Music Concourse is flat and fully navigable by wheelchair, please email us before your show date at reservations@weplayers.org to help us accomodate any special needs.

Is there seating available?
As with all We Players productions, our team will guide you through the space, and we encourage you to choose and change your position so you can best see and hear the action. In each performance location the audience will take the following formation: those comfortable sitting or kneeling on the ground in the front, those sitting on stools next, and those standing remain at the back. We will provide folding stools and foam kneelers for those who wish to use them. We can not accommodate personal folding chairs, please plan to use one of ours.

My budget is very limited, how can I get discounted tickets?
You can join the Rush Ticket mailing list for a chance at last-minute half-price tickets if they become available.
Or better yet - volunteer! Lend us a helping hand for a couple of shows and get free tickets! Visit our form to sign up.

This project looks really interesting! Can I volunteer with We Players?
Absolutely! Join us in bringing magic to The Music Concoursee! Click here to learn more and sign up.

What if my question is not answered here?
For questions about the production and performance, please contact We Players at info@weplayers.org

+ The Buzz
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PRESS

"We Players forces us to consider the spectrum of self-absorption, neither excusing Caesar’s behavior nor explicitly condemning it."

"For a moment, everything seems possible: the dispatching of would-be tyrants, the power of a well-turned oratorical phrase to inspire action, and the continual evolution of the “classics” in their ability to reveal modern concerns."

Nicole Gluckstern, KQED: Hail Caesar! Shakespearean Drama Meets Historical San Francisco in 'Caesar Maximus'

"thrilling and spectacular"

Charles Kruger, Theatrestorm: Review: CAESAR MAXIMUS

"Packed with somber atmosphere, it’s a strikingly effective interpretation that breathes new life into this durable old tragedy."

Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News: Review: Audience stays on the move in engaging ‘Caesar’ at SF’s Golden Gate Park

“We Players expands the possibilities of the Music Concourse, a feat any thespian, park visitor or conqueror should bow down to.”

Lily Janiak, SF Chronicle: We Players’ second riff on ‘Julius Caesar’ this season has a female lead

"What We Players has birthed in Golden Gate Park is breathtaking. In Caesar Maximus we find this classic, reworked, into a version that is electrifying and tumultuous, reflecting both the troubles of the ancient past and today’s society."

"The world of Caesar Maximus is soaked in visual symbolism."

Kathryn Yu, No Proscenium: In Praise of ‘Caesar Maximus’

Eddie Reynolds, Theatre Eddys: CAESAR MAXIMUS

Jean Schiffman, SF/ARTS: Summer Arts in the Park

AUDIENCE

"I was blown away by the performance."

"What an amazing way to present this text."

"...visually stunning"

"...brilliant acting, directing, and a brilliant use of the whole space."

"...absolutely AMAZING! I was stunned, awe-struck, moved in so many ways."

"Profound and sublime."

"... amazing, awesome, powerful. Highly recommend."

"I could not have asked for a better evening."

+ The team
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THE CAST:
Caesar: Libby Oberlin
Antony: Rotimi Agbabiaka
Brutus: Joseph Schommer
Cassius and Carpenter: Hunter Scott MacNair
Casca: Chris Steele
Cinna the Senator and Cobbler: Alan Coyne
Cinna the Poet: Zoltan DiBartolo
Portia: Britt Lauer
Calpurnia and The Beggar: Lauren Hayes
Soothsayer: Emily Stone
Ajax The Juggler: Oscar Velarde

THE MUSICIANS:
Trombone: Greg Stephens
Percussion: Ricky Lomelli
Percussion: Tim DeCillis
Trumpet: Danny Cao
Trumpet: Matthew DePasquale
Trumpet: Aaron Priskorn
Trumpet: Max Miller-Loran

THE CREATIVE TEAM & CREW:
Director/ Producer: Ava Roy
Assistant Director/ Adaptor: Nick Medina
Composer/ Music Director: Charlie Gurke
Costume Designer: Brooke Jennings
Assistant Costume Designer: Kathleen Qiu
Set Designer: Edward T. Morris
Fight Director: Chris Steele
Stage Manager/ Associate Artist: Giselle Boustani-Fontenele
Production Manager: Rosalie Fay Barnes
House Manager: Moira McGovern
Production Crew Manager: Lucas Brown
Production Crew: Lana Richards
Production Crew: Alessandra Bongiardina
Production Intern: Kristen Wolfe

VOLUNTEERS OF GLORY:
The Incredible Monica Herbert
The Amazing Ruth Tringham

+ Our Circus Center Partners
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Circus Center’s history began in 1974, when Peggy Snider and Larry Pisoni founded The Pickle Family Circus, the iconic Bay Area troupe that kicked off the United States’ circus renaissance movement.

Ten years later, Pickle Family members Wendy Parkman and Judy Finelli opened the San Francisco School for Circus Arts, renamed Circus Center in 2001, to train youth in circus arts.

In 1993, Circus Center moved from its original old church location to the vacant West Gym of Polytechnic High School, where it remains today. Over the next 30 years, Circus Center established itself as one of the most advanced school of the circus arts on the West Coast, with training in clowning, acrobatics, aerial arts, contortion and more. With its international roster of highly experienced instructors, Circus Center continues to train artists who work professionally in highly respected circuses and performance venues around the world. Several former Circus Center students have gone on to found schools and circuses of their own.

Circus Center remains a San Francisco institution, producing professional-quality shows starring students, instructors, and community members. Their pre-professional youth troupe has sent students on to careers in circuses around the world, with a scholarship program that helps young artists to pursue their professional dreams regardless of ability to pay.

Read more on the Circus Center site!

+ The Place
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Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse, originally constructed as the Grand Court for the Midwinter Fair of 1894, becomes Rome on Election Day. This vibrant civic space perfectly transforms into the hustling, bustling Circus that is the city under Caesar. Most often recognized as the promenade between the de Young and the Academy of Science, the space is an attraction in its own right with its Temple of Music, pollarded Wych Elms, and grand Rideout Fountain. Processing through the space, the performance will utilize the entire length of the Music Concourse. Our final act, the horror of war viewed from inside a medical tent, plays in the iron-gated pedestrian tunnel as the ghosts of the dead haunt the few left living.