Starting November 4, Hackley’s Performing Arts Department will be staging George Bernard’s production of Caesar and Cleopatra. Directed by Willie Teacher, this performance is sure to be one of Hackley’s best yet. Starring Fin McCombe as Caesar and Celia Gooding as Cleopatra, the entire cast is hard at work to ensure that the play will be a smashing success.

The premise of the play is a power struggle between Cleopatra and her brother for full rule of Egypt. When Caesar arrives, he tries to teach Cleopatra how to rule. Soon thereafter, he realizes that he made a mistake because the power begins to go to Cleopatra’s head. The play follows the internal power struggle Cleopatra has with being Queen and how those around her deal with her actions.

Senior Jack Clark plays Rufio, Caesar’s right-hand man. “Usually the way that the roles are cast are Fin playing a down-to-earth powerful king, but Caesar in this play is very jovial and there is a lot of levity within his character,” said Jack. With cast members in new roles, the actors are expanding their horizons to become more versatile performers.Celia Gooding is especially excited for this year’s performance. She looks forward to Cleopatra’s character development and the opportunity to grow alongside her role. Additionally, Celia loves her castmates and admires how they push her to be a better actress. “You see your friends outside of rehearsal and you see your friends inside of rehearsal, and sometimes it’s the same person, but other times they are two completely different people,” Celia said.

With regards to the director, it is safe to say that the cast adores Mr. Teacher. His passion is contagious and he truly makes better people, not just better actors. The cast learns from him not only in his director mode, but also outside of rehearsal. “Mr. Teacher is such a great role model and a leader. Being a role model and being a leader are two very different things. Being a leader is someone who is designated who you have to follow, but a role model is someone that you choose to look up to and follow willingly when they’re not trying to be followed,” Celia stated.

In her opinion, “people should see the play to learn, to be entertained, and to expand on the idea that theater is a thing. We are here, we are present, and this is what we want to do. We want to get recognition for that,” Celia said. The cast has put blood, sweat, and tears into this performance and is looking forward to sharing it with the Hackley community. Attend Caesar and Cleopatra and be blown away by your peers: November 4, 5, 11, and 12 in the PAC!