Et tu Sunderland? Julius Caesar is coming to the Fire Station

Shakespeare’s Globe will be performing Julius Caesar at three north east venues including The Fire Station Auditorium on Sunday, June 26 at 6pm. The performances of one of the greatest playwright’s best known and popular tragedies are part of a nationwide Globe on Tour series.

Julius Caesar is understood to be the first of Shakespeare’s play to be performed at The Globe Theatre in London when it first opened in 1599.

The play is a largely true story about a battle for power in ancient Rome, with Julius Caesar pitched against former allies Brutus and Cassius.

The Ides of March proves to be a key date in Caesar’s calendar, with the most unkindest cut of all coming his way.

Diane Page, director of the play, said: “I’m so excited to bring my production of Julius Caesar straight from the Globe Theatre in London to tour across the UK.

“These past few years have revealed more than ever how betrayal, division and cunning rhetoric are not just traits belonging to ancient Rome.”

Helen Green is head of performance at Sunderland Culture, which runs The Fire Station.

She said: “Julius Caesar is a political thriller as well as an epic tragedy and in many ways feels very modern – it’s a brutal tale of ambition, incursion and revolution.

"This is a real opportunity for Sunderland and North East audiences to see some of the country’s best Shakespearean performers.”

The acclaimed production features depictions of war, self-harm and suicide, as well as profanity and offensive language. It also contains violence, stage blood and weapons including guns and knives and under-14s must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets for The Fire Station performance are priced from £11. For more information, or to book, go to www.thefirestation.org.uk. A variety of performances is coming up at The Fire Station in the coming weeks.

These include The Futureheads – Acoustic and A Cappella on June 11, punk legends The Damned on June 16 and for youngsters Dinosaur World Live on June 21.