First Stage's Young Company presents JULIUS CAESAR 12/3-4

First Stage Theater Academy's Young Company presents William Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR, Friday December 3 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, December 4 at 3:30 and 7 p.m. at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut Street in Milwaukee. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, and are available at the door one hour prior to the start of the performance.

Heralded as one of the Bard's greatest tragedies, it is one of several plays Shakespeare wrote based on true events from Roman history, and was likely one of the first of Shakespeare's works to be performed at the famed Globe Theatre in London.

Director Todd Denning, who will also play the title role in this production, is a theater artist who lives and works in Milwaukee as an actor, director, teacher, fight choreographer and sound designer/engineer. He has acted in several First Stage productions including PETER PAN AND WENDY, ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER and HOW I BECAME A PIRATE. His First Stage directing credits includes THE QUILTMAKER'S GIFT, GIGGLE GIGGLE QUACK and numerous other Company Class and Young Company productions. Denning is co-director of the Young Company of the First Stage Theater Academy with Theater Academy Director/First Stage Associate Artistic Director John Maclay.

Young Company members performing in JULIUS CAESAR are Allie Babich and Garrett Kim of Hartland; Christine Pollnow of Kewaskum; Josh Levin and Kelly Venable of Mequon; Emily Daly, Martha Danks, Garrett Hanson, Gretchen Mahkorn, Hannah McLean, Eric Schabla, Ari Shapiro and Erin Stapleton of Milwaukee; Ashley Patin of Muskego; Matt Steege of Racine; Emmy Tisdel of Shorewood; Kelley Annesley, Mitchell Bultman and Kieran Kane of Wauwatosa; Mallory Elver, Julia Rothaker and Laura Troshynski of Whitefish Bay.

The Young Company is First Stage Theater Academy's advanced, pre-professional training program for students ages 15 and older. Students receive advanced actor training in the form of coursework, master classes and performance in Young Company productions and New Play Workshops. Recently, select Young Company members competed in the Utah Shakespearean Festival/Southern Utah University Shakespeare Competition in Cedar City, Utah. The team of 15 students won First Place overall for its division, as well as placing First for its Ensemble Scene, First in Monologues, and won the Larry Lott Award for Best Actor in an Ensemble. The students participated alongside more than 2,500 young people from over 90 schools from Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California and Idaho. First Stage teens traveled the farthest to attend the competition.

For information on the Young Company or other programs of First Stage Theater Academy, call (414) 267-2970, email academy@FirstStage.org, or visit www.FirstStage.org/TheaterAcademy.

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