About Shakespeare's: Caesar

Caesar is known by many to be generous, powerful, a brilliant tactician, and a wise leader.

He is also known to be ambitious.

Fresh from his victory over his political rival and fellow Consul, Pompey the Great, Caesar returns to Rome with dreams of seizing the absolute power that he believes he deserves.

Many Romans rejoice to see this happen, but there are some who do not. Some Romans look to an old custom; when one man seeks to make himself a king, it is every citizen's responsibility to see him dead.

Would this be an act of great treachery or great civil responsibility?

This is the story of the end of a centuries-old democracy and the birth of one of the most powerful Empires in human history.

Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's more unique plays; a story without a clear hero or villain, where the tension comes from the political backdrop of the Roman Republic's final days. A political thriller that tells the story of the conspiracy against Caesar, his assassination and the defeat of his conspirators.

25th November - 3rd December

Location: Brown Hill Public Hall
Genre: Drama
Director: Shannon Nicholls
Playwright: Shakespeare

About the Director

Shannon Nicholls

Shannon trained as an actor at Federation University's Arts Academy, graduating in 2017, and has been involved with BNT since 2018. He has served as an actor, assistant director, and member of the company board in the time since.

Shannon has served as an Assistant Director twice, for Patrick White’s The Season at Sarsaparilla while studying at Federation University’s Arts Academy, and for BNT’s 2018 production of Pride and Prejudice. He also created and directed a verbatim theatre piece titled Home in 2017, which used interview responses from immigrants about their experiences before, and since, moving to Australia.

He served on the Ballarat National Theatre board from 2021-2023, and has performed several times with the company, including in Pride and Prejudice (2018), Pride & Prejudice Podcast (2020), Mr Bennet's Bride (2022), Speaking in Tongues (2019) and Persuasion Podcast (2024).

Shannon has always been passionate about inclusive, positive, and accessible theatre. He strives to create a workspace wherein everyone can create as equals, and not be constrained by lack of resources.

Caesar represents Shannon's first foray into directing a full show solo, and he has great faith that the community will be able to form an amazing team to build up this show.