The New Theatre, Dublin: 11  – 14 September, 2024

Written and Directed by Joy Nesbitt

In JULIUS CAESAR VARIETY SHOW, a Black actor, a Woman actor, and a Straight White Male actor walk into a Shakespeare audition. What could go wrong?

Three actors from diverse backgrounds audition for a role in Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. Amidst a riot outside the theatre, they face an intensely respected director who is determined to reinvent the play through “unorthodox” methods, often at the expense of the actors' personal integrity. The audition becomes a battleground where the actors' identities are scrutinized, with an accompanist intensifying the director’s demands. As they navigate the director’s expectations, the actors grapple with how their identities alter the meaning of a play and the role that diversity and inclusion plays in reshaping the theatre industry.