By Joe Wicke

A lone actress took the stage as the lights dimmed. The silence in the room filled with the ambiance of the sea. Dressed in pirate attire, she began to play the accordion. Suddenly, more sailors surrounded her, erupting into a jolly shanty. 

If an audience member didn’t know any better, they would have no idea they were about to watch Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”.

The Maryland Shakespeare Players is a nonprofit, student-run theater company that has put on shows since 2007. Their pirate-themed “Julius Caesar” debuted at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland on Wednesday. 

The show followed Marcus Brutus, played by Maria Nikolaitchik, a senior statistics and atmospheric science double major, as he conspired to overthrow the titular character. 

For director Liam O’Donoghue, a senior mechanical engineering major, the decision to adapt the play to a pirate setting was a no-brainer. 

“There are a lot of really interesting parallels between Rome as a society and pirates as a society,” O’Donoghue said. “They’re both ostensibly democracies, but we see someone rise in power and declare themselves dictators.”

O’Donoghue joined MDSP in 2020, working on a performance of “Julius Caesar” set entirely in the video game, Minecraft. Since then, he acted in three shows and directed three shows.

He saw this show as his last hurrah, as he had workshopped the idea with his friend and mentor, alum Percy Langston. 

“Julius Caesar” was cast, rehearsed and practiced for nine weeks. Ryan Lindner, the show’s stage manager and a sophomore marketing and sociology double major, designed the rehearsal schedule and was responsible for sending weekly and daily calls to cast members. Rehearsals took place three times a week in empty classrooms at the Art-Sociology Building on campus. 

One of the first tests for many actors on stage was familiarizing themselves with Shakespeare’s often antiquated speech. 

“Getting used to how things are pronounced is a challenge in the beginning,” Nikolaitchik said. “Once you get into the flow and fall into the rhythm, you can really connect with the character and understand a lot more about the lines.”

Another challenge was the blocking, or general movement, of scenes, Edith Corey, a sophomore psychology and criminology & criminal justice double major who played Cassius, said. It was much more strictly adhered to than she and the actors were used to. 

“I’m used to the actors feeling out the space,” Corey said. “Liam had a very clear picture of what he wanted, and I was scared I wouldn’t be able to do that for him.”

MDSP is mostly made up of non-theater majors, including engineering, criminology, and math. 

“Although it’s busy with our schedule, we find time to make the club happen,” Nikolaitchik said

Other cast members included Logan Delavan-Hoover, a senior economics major who played Marc Antony and Aidan Owens, a junior economics major who played Caesar. 

As the cast took their final bow, O’Donoghue said he couldn’t have been more proud of the hard work from the cast and crew and was excited for their other shows of the performance on Thursday and Friday. 

“I’m so glad to see that MDSP has impressed me once again with their ability to exceed expectations, ” he said. “It is a burden off my shoulders to know it’s exactly what I wanted it to be and I’m so happy for everyone. ”

Featured Image: The cast and crew of “Julius Cesar“ performed the play three nights at the Clarice. Photo courtesy MDSP.