Behind the Scenes with Julius Caesar Cast Members

Vice President of Communications for The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory Lisa Condit spoke with Julius Caesar cast members Dale Place and Joshua Wolfe Coleman. Read on for highlights from the interview, or listen to the full interview below. Then tune in to Talk of the Commonwealth with Hank Stolz on WCRN 830AM Fridays at 9 AM and Saturdays at 1 PM for more behind-the-scenes interviews.

Lisa: Welcome to our guests Dale Place and Joshua Wolfe Coleman. I am excited to say we have not one, but two celebrities here with us today. Some people might recognize Dale from our original A Christmas Carol, but both actors have quite the resume. Dale, you might recognize him from The Proposal or Gone Baby Gone or even The Fighter. Joshua Wolfe Coleman, I know that I recognize him from How to Get Away with Murder, but he was also in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. 

Dale Place as Caesar

Lisa: Dale, you were our original Scrooge. Can you even believe what The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory has become today compared to the first year? 

Dale: That space is just incredibly beautiful. It was just such a thrill to do that production on that larger scale, we do not get a chance to perform in that larger capacity very often. It is wonderful, and kudos to you all for expanding your programs even in this past year and making it thrive. That is just a success story to me.  

Lisa: Tell me a little bit about why you are really excited about this production of Julius Caesar. 

Dale: The outdoor aspect is exciting, and the cast is going to be incredible. I was so heartened by just the cross section of talent that is going to be taking part.

Lisa:  What are some of the parts that you are most looking forward to bringing to life? 

Dale: What I am most looking forward to with this part is the universal insufferableness of politicians. There are several wonderful lines when he is in the Senate just before he is killed, and he is disparaging one of the suitors. The words he uses when he is cutting down this other person is just delicious language. He is insufferable, and you really want to get rid of him. 

Joshua Wolf Coleman as Brutus

Lisa: Joshua, tell us about some of your perspectives and what you are looking forward to most about being a part of this production? 

Joshua: The production is certainly about the death of Julius Caesar, but it is also about his two sons. Brutus, the character I am playing, in history might have been an illegitimate son of Julius Caesar, an actual blood relation. His other son is Anthony, and the two of them have very different relationships to their father. One kills him, and one supplants him as one of the leaders of Rome. That interaction between those two, one being kind and noble, and the other being able to manipulate so brilliantly. There are so many female actors playing male characters, this idea that Julius Caesar is this incredible treatise on politics in general, let alone democracies. What a switch it will be for our audience when they see a woman manipulating power in the ways that men have.

Lisa: How did you get here, a famous actor, how did you end up in Worcester in 2021? 

Joshua: I don’t consider myself a famous actor by any stretch of the imagination.  I do consider myself a working actor, which for actors is a pretty great place to be. I was in Los Angeles for about 20 years working most of time. I’m still relatively new to the East coast area, I follow the art. I have never had a chance to do Julius Caesar, let alone a role as juicy as Brutus. Personally, I love Worcester, but actors tend to go when they are asked, especially when they get the chance to get these great words in their mouth. 

Lisa: Are there any nuggets of wisdom or advice that you would give to students of this art form?  

Joshua: One of the things I try and warn as many student actors as possible is that, if there are any other jobs you can do, please run and do that job. This is not digging coal, but it is the very hardest thing I have ever done in my life, as much as I love it. You really must be invested and be willing to take a bunch of bruises and difficulties that come with the gig.  

Lisa: There’s a lot of material here in Julius Caesar. Is there a particular scene or lines that you just love, and you cannot wait to see how they come together?  

Joshua: My favorite scene of the play and one of the reasons I want to play Brutus is because he has this conflict with his best friend, Cassius in the original text, Cassia for us. When they confront each other over their loyalty to each other, things have gotten really bad, and the assassination has not worked out at all like they planned. The two of them are at odds and they really love each other quite dearly so the betrayal and being at odds with one another is intense.