The Acting Company

Founded in 1972 by John Houseman and Margot Harley with Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, and other members of the first graduating class of Julliard's Drama Division, The Acting Company prides itself on delivering the highest-quality, text-driven productions to underserved audiences while concurrently engaging students in the words of Shakespeare with in-class workshops and residencies, fostering an appreciation for both Shakespeare and the arts and craft of theater for a lifetime. Honored with a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater, The Acting Company promotes theater and literacy by bringing touring repertory of classical productions, talented young actors, and teaching artists into communities across America; particularly to those where live performances and arts education is limited or nonexistent. The company has been honored with awards such as the Obie, Audelco, and others over a span of almost four decades for its sustained excellence in theater and arts education. In addition to nurturing audiences for the classics, The Acting Company has developed young American prominent stage and screen actors who began as company members. The Acting Company has produced and presented 135 classical works, including 42 full-text productions of Shakespeare, to 48 states across America and in 10 foreign countries.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, The Acting Company will bring its production of Julius Caesar, directed by Rob Melrose, to diverse and underserved communities across America. This play is a classic story of pride and envy, arrogance and honor, opportunity and tragic strategic errors. A full complement of educational programming will include Literacy Through Theater, week-long residencies that bring teaching artists directly into the classroom to study the play; Shakespeare for Teachers professional development workshops; workshops that include Page-to-Stage, and acting clues in Shakespeare; and post-performance question-and-answer sessions with the actors. The national tour of Julius Caesar will includes some of the most talented young actors in America and will start at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN, before traveling to more than 30 cities in over 25 states.