Shakespeare's Globe to perform Julius Caesar at Sunderland's Fire Station

Shakespeare’s Globe will be performing Julius Caesar at The Fire Station on Sunday, June 26 as part of its nationwide Globe on Tour series.

It will be the first time Shakespeare’s Globe has performed in Sunderland and the only other north east venues on the Globe on Tour itinerary are in Hexham and Alnwick.

Helen Green, Head of Performance at Sunderland Culture, which runs The Fire Station, said: “We’re thrilled Shakespeare’s Globe is bringing this remarkable production to Wearside – it’s a real coup for The Fire Station.

“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.

“We’ll be taking the stalls seats out of The Fire Station Auditorium so people can stand and watch Julius Caesar – as do audiences at London’s Shakespeare’s Globe, and as they did in the 1600s. Of course, there will also be seated areas for those who prefer not to stand.”

It is thought Julius Caesar was the first Shakespeare play to be performed at The Globe in 1599.

The play is about a battle for power in Ancient Rome, with emperor Julius Caesar pitched against former allies Brutus and Cassius.

Diane Page is Director of Julius Caesar and 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.”

This 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. Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.

The performance will start at 6pm and tickets are priced from £11. For more information, or to book, go to www.thefirestation.org.uk

The new auditorium opened its doors in December. The mid-size venue, which holds 550 people as a seating venue or 800 standing, completes the transformation of the former central Fire Station.

It now houses the Engine Room bistro, dance studios and arts space in the old Edwardian wing and the venue in the new wing, an £11m addition to the site.