There I was, on the eve of the Ides of March, sitting in the intimate main stage theater of the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, as one of William Shakespeare’s most acclaimed tragedies begins to unfold before me and I see and hear Caesar being warned…Beware the Ides of March!!!
My regular readers will know this but I like to remind everyone that the First Stage Young Company is made up of high school age theater students who perform adult plays generally without any adults in the cast. And they perform on the main stage in the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. This stage is a theater in the round with no more than four rows on either side, so every audience member is close to the action. And they use very minimal stage furnishings and plain and simple costuming so that they can let their actions and the text tell us some very compelling stories. But don’t think for a moment that this is anything but engaging and demanding theater. The Young Company has become my favorite theater group.
Unlike the bigger musical productions at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, the Young Company does not have two alternating casts, so you will see the actors that I mention here.
Edward Owczarski plays an ideal Caesar. Owczarski is regal without seeming imperious but shows that his Caesar can easily be swayed by flattery and is he too ambitious? He treads that fine line that would suggest you could see that either way. Ben Nowacek is a very true and loyal son of Rome in his depiction of Brutus. Showing a bit of doubt for a moment, once he makes up his mind he is all in! I’d say Nowacek’s Brutus is more ‘imperial’ than Owczarski’s Caesar. But where does Nowacek falter fatally? In his funerary speech just before Marc Antony. And then there is Marc Antony, portrayed by Paxton Haley. Haley never waivers, never falters, and is the epitome of the faithful and determined Antony. Haley understands Antony and her version of Friends, Romans, Countrymen, rings out just as you would expect and will sway you to her cause.
But the one actor that dominated every scene she appeared in was Natalie Ottman as Cassius. Ottman is wired, on edge, determined, and strident all at once and her energy as she strode back and forth across the stage just drew the focus to her Cassius even when Brutus or Marc Antony was present.
One always interesting event is part of every First Stage performance. There is a brief talk back where audience members can ask questions of the cast about the performance or the play or the preparations. This time a question asked about the director Ken Miller and how he prepared the Young Company for this very adult and tragic play. And the answer is, during the early table read throughs he encouraged the actors to read their characters in the manner they interpreted for the mood and emotions of their character. And from there he and they refined the action and characters collaboratively. So these young actors are learning more than just how to act…
The Young Company recommends Julius Caesar for families with young people ages 14-18 and Shakespeare fans of all ages!
However every young person is different and may or may not be ready for certain elements of each production. The play Julius Caesar contains descriptions and depictions of violence and self-harm.
I haven’t seen nor read Julius Caesar in quite some time. It is amazing how of the time many of the story lines here feel…sadly contemporary.
The play runs about two hours including a 15 minute intermission.
Julius Caesar is playing at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center from now through March 22nd, 2026. Additional information including full cast listings and tickets can be found HERE!
Extra Credit Reading: The Enrichment Guide
