Caesar comes to the stage at ABAC Thursday

TIFTON — The Olney Theatre Center’s National Players will perform William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Howard Auditorium on the campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The play is a part of the 2015-16 ABAC Presents! Performing Arts Series.

ABAC Arts Connection Director Wayne Jones said that in this production, the Romans venerate their leader, Julius Caesar, but Marcus Brutus sees that Caesar may be too powerful for the good of the nation. Brutus’ struggle between the conflicting demands of honor, patriotism and friendship is the central psychological drama of this acclaimed theatrical work. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, the masterful examination of conspiracy, assassination and its fallout remains hauntingly timeless, Jones said.

The Olney Theatre Center is located just north of Washington, D.C., in Montgomery County, Md. It offers a varying array of professional productions year-round that enrich, nurture and challenge a broad range of artists, audiences and students.

One of two state theaters in Maryland, Olney Theatre Center features the National Players, who produce and present performances on the Center’s four-theater campus for diverse audiences in the local community and to educate the next generation of theater-makers.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and will be sold at the door. Jones, however, encourages advance purchase to ensure seating. Tickets for the series are $50 for adults and $20 for students under 18. Tickets can be purchased online at www.purplepass.com/abac or by phone at (229) 391-4895.

The title sponsor for the ABAC performing arts series is Bell Plantation. The “Julius Caesar” performance is presented by Ponders Printing and Office Supply. ABAC Presents! is supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations of the General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from its partner agency, the National Endowment for the Arts.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

— The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus, 7 p.m., Nov. 7, Tift County High School Performing Arts Center. (No charge to attend but ticket is required.)

— The Peach State Opera Company’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” 7 p.m., Feb. 11, in Howard Auditorium, ABAC.

— The Dallas Brass, 7 p.m., March 8, Tift County High School Performing Arts Center.

— Saxophonist Greg Tardy with the ABAC Jazz Ensemble, 7 p.m., April 21, Howard Auditorium, ABAC.