Imagine, if you will, a kingdom not unlike that of Themyscira, home of the Amazons. Now, imagine a group of equally extraordinary women engaged in political warfare, who ultimately choose to overthrow their leader through assassination: women who are equally capable on both the battlefields of diplomacy and morality. This is the world of the Actors Shakespeare Project's Julius Caesar, built under the direction of Bryn Boice. Boasting a surprisingly condensed cast of 9 talented actresses, this production promises to transport its audience to “an alternate universe, Rome,” where femininity pervades every aspect of this domain. While the all-female ensemble could easily have seemed like an empty nod to modern notions of feminism and inclusivity, nothing about this decision seemed reckless. With actresses of different ages, the clearly defined generational conflicts between the characters became increasingly confusing, thus asking the audience to reflect on ideas of toxic masculinity and the circularity of the story. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This production features the same Shakespearean characters we hate to love and love to hate. Although their names remained unchanged, other liberties were taken to replace strongly gendered names and pronouns in writing with their feminine or gender-neutral counterparts. Although the purist within me was initially concerned about such adjustments, as they disturbed the metrical rhythm of the Bard's iambs, this discomfort soon faded. The actresses carried off these subtle linguistic changes with ease, imbuing every action with the same traditionally masculine bravado that the language no longer directly communicated. These weren't actresses simply attempting to don a mask of masculinity and channel a caricatured man; these were women. Complex women, as resolute and misguided as they are kind and sincere. Cloaked primarily in black, the words and actions of these women took center stage, throwing ritual overtones into the mix along with the mysticism behind and the uncertainty of Rome's fate. There was no underlying condescension about which of the women was “the ideal,” making this interpretation of Julius Caesar timely and moving. Among these 9 actresses, we also see generational differences come into play, adding to the intensity of each scene and inviting us to further question each character's motivations. Boice masterfully steers us away from finding stock figures in this play: the anguished Mark Antony (played by Marianna Bassham) who weeps over Caesar's corpse later turns the tables on the conspirators, earning the favor of the plebeians while feigning his alliance with Cassius (Bobbie Steinbach) . The same Cassius and Brutus (Marya Lowry), who were instrumental in Caesar's violent death, share a moment of sentimental bonding, immediately following an argument that leaves both women jovial. Their sisterly arguments also call to mind the way we perceive male relationships, how displays of affection between men are often interpreted as homoerotic, while the same expressions between women are interpreted differently. This is further exemplified by the various roles each individual member of the ensemble fills, marked by subtle changes in costumes and props. A conspirator becomes a poet, who then reappears as a messenger, alluding to the cyclical nature of our civilization. The simplistic design of the work in the.