Greenbrier Valley Theatre (GVT), the state professional theatre of West Virginia, presents William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

The updated classic runs Sept. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. with a Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The public may attend scheduled matinees during the week. Call the Box Office for more information on attending school matinees.

Tickets are $30 for general adult admission, $27 for seniors (60+) and $20 for children/students. For more information, call the GVT Box Office at (304) 645-3838 or visit www.gvtheatre.org.

A political thriller with a contemporary spin, this classic tragedy tells the story of Brutus and his attempt to stop Caesar and her rise to absolute power. He and his conspirators wish to save the republic; their regicide only leads to war and chaos.

Filling the role of Julius Caesar is returning actor Katrina Ferguson, who made her GVT debut last year as Charlotte in Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo. Originally from Australia, Ferguson began acting at a young age and eventually moved to New York to study professionally. She has studied at the New Actors Workshop, Riverside Shakespeare, the New York Shakespeare Festival’s LAB and the American Stanislavski Center.

With all that training under her belt, it’s no wonder this skilled actor was chosen for the title role, and she is thrilled to be back in Lewisburg. Ferguson feels that GVT’s dedication to creating diversity makes a great experience for both actor and audience member.

“Where else can you see Honky Tonk Laundry and (The Tragedy of) Julius Caesar in the same season? There’s something for everyone,” Ferguson said.

The actors and the audience members get to see new and exciting works as well as revisit classics and old favorites with each passing season. For Ferguson, it is exciting and new to be cast in a role that has always been reserved for men. It’s an opportunity to see what it’s like to be a woman in a man’s world.

The exciting adaptations made to Shakespeare’s classic level the playing field between men and women. Ferguson can only hope that audience members will see that the challenges and pitfalls of power are present for both men and women.

See Julius Caesar as you’ve never seen her before Sept. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. with a Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. The public may attend scheduled matinees during the week. Call the Box Office for more information on attending school matinees. Tickets are $30 for general adult admission, $27 for seniors (60+) and $20 for children/students. For tickets or more information, call GVT’s Box Office at 304-645-3838 or visit www.gvtheatre.org. The program is presented with financial assistance from the WV Division of Arts, Culture & History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts.