This was the noblest Roman of them all #Julius Caesar

JOHNY BABY
VI SEM BCOM - ACCA

'A historic tale of epic proportions,
A cataclysmic turn of events, that invokes a plethora of emotions,
One of the world's greatest civilizations, hangs in the balance over the life of one man.
An immortal legend, A Roman God and a triumphant king.'

The Department of English in Kristu Jayanti College every year stages a Shakespearean play, 'The Merchant of Venice' enacted last year was a resounding success. Setting the bench mark higher this year on February 28, The Erudite Club proudly presented the English Play, Julius Caesar, in the SKE Auditorium.

Written in 1599, Julius Caesar was the earliest of Shakespeare's three Roman history plays. Julius Caesar is a dramatization of actual events, leading from the triumphant return of Caesar, the conspirators plotting to kill him, the assassination of Caesar, the iconic speech of Mark Antony that moves the crowd, and finally Brutus, the beloved friend of Caesar, committing suicide, lamenting his mistake.

The script for the play was abridged, while preserving its authenticity and originality, keeping in mind the receptivity of the audience. The cast consisted of over thirty characters, who had their respective dialogues, along with extras. The entire staging committee consisted of over ninety members across various roles and responsibilities, such as lights and sound, props and costumes. The lights and sound team were astounding in their work, as they created the perfect light and sound effects to enhance the experience and enjoyment of the play. The props team did wonders with designing, drawing and creatively placing props such as statues to create the perfect setting for various scenes of the play. The costumes were marvellous as they were near exact replicas of people belonging to the Roman Empire.

The play was directed by students. These budding directors are Rebecca Raphael, Nisha Eapen and Savio Francis, while being actively guided by various faculty coordinators. The faculty members who were part of the staging committee included Dr Thomas Palayoor, Head, Department of English, Mr Sachin Mundakkal, Ms. Sucheta Sankar, Ms. Alna Mariya and Mr Massilamani who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, providing much needed advice, inspiration, support and encouragement. Dramatic rendition of dialogues, stellar lighting effects and suitable accompaniment of soundtracks for various scenes, ensured that the true essence of 'Julius Caesar’ could be imparted to the audience. Some memorable moments from the play include, the assassination of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony's iconic speech and the death of Brutus that invoked an enthusiastic cheer from the audience.

The play was broadcast live on YouTube, and esteemed guests were present among the audience. The play was a great success as the curtains fell to the warm and loud applause of the audience. At the end of the play, Fr. Principal was asked to address the gathering, and he had nothing but praise and admiration for the play and the entire team involved in staging it. The breath-taking and amazing rendition of Julius Caesar, already has us anticipating about what next year's production could be.

Kristu Jayanti College has always challenged and encouraged us to think outside the box it has provided a stage where many artists are born. The sheer act of participating in the play either as an actor or contributing as a member of the various committees helped discover our true potential and creative abilities. This institution has been like a beacon of light where we’ve learnt that as long as we do something with passion we will always succeed.

“Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time” – Ben Johnson
"Friends, Romans, Countrymen......That's a wrap!"