The Mount Carmel theater program is preparing for its latest production, Julius Caesar, bringing themes of political conflict and loyalty to center stage. Students and directors have spent months rehearsing, working to memorize and bring the centuries-old story into an engaging performance for all.
Directed by Mr. KC. Perlberg, with the help of Mr. Tim Baffoe ’00 and Dr. Jon Berry, the production features a full cast balancing rehearsals with academics, athletics, and extracurriculars. The play was selected by the Drama Department in late 2025 and has developed into a major production.
“I was surprised how enthusiastically they were drawn to Julius Caesar, and the idea of acting out Shakespeare in general,” said Mr. Perlberg. “It was a really fun discussion to have with them back in November.
Unlike many school productions, the decision to perform Julius Caesar came mostly from the students. The group spent months reading and watching productions of multiple scripts before ultimately deciding on Shakespeare’s political drama.
“When you do a Shakespearean drama like this, there are a ton of themes you can dig into,” Mr. Perlberg said, “one of which is how easily a crowd is swayed and can be pushed and pulled in different directions by charismatic leaders.”
Those themes of power, persuasion, and morality have shaped rehearsals and performance choices as students interpret the play for a modern audience.
Behind the scenes, assistant director Mr. Baffoe said that production mirrors the structure and discipline of athletics.
“For me, I always treat theater and doing a play as a sport,” Mr. Baffoe said. “We have a season and putting out a production is a sports season and as long as, if not longer than any sports seasons.”
He emphasized that consistency is essential for success, just as athletes missing sports practices disrupts cohesiveness on the field.
“Not showing up to practice hurts the team, and it’s hard for the team to function,” Mr. Baffoe said.
Mr. Perlberg also noted that managing schedules has been one of the biggest challenges of the production.
“Juggling everybody’s schedules while having effective rehearsals has been a huge challenge,” Mr. Perlberg said. “Mount Carmel guys are involved in everything.”
Senior actor RJ Risos, who plays Marcus Brutus, said the role demands deep focus on language and motivation.
“My character, above all, is noble and honorable,” said Risos. “He is just hyperfixated on honor and what is good for the country, even to an obsessive degree.”
The production also takes advantage of the school’s new performance space, the Barry-Hughes Performing Arts Center, which allows for creativity when designing a stage, even getting to involve the audience.
“It’s fun because it’s flexible,” said Mr. Perlberg. “We can turn it into whatever we need. We were able to essentially recreate what is called a thrust stage. Now the audience is on three sides of the stage, and are able to get much closer to what is happening.”
Junior actor Peyton Skalnik, who plays the title character, said memorization has been his biggest challenge preparing for his role.
“You have to memorize a lot of lines in less than a few weeks,” he said. To overcome that challenge, he uses rhythm to help learn his lines. “I try to turn it into a song.”
Skalnik described his character in bold terms.
“If I had to describe my character, I’d say he’s pompous,” Skalnik said. “He has a very royal demeanor, and is very eccentric in his movements.
Risos agreed with Skalink that memorization was the hardest part about preparing, but he had a different way to prepare.
“With this play being in mostly Shakespearean lingo, it makes it so there’s plenty of things that are weird to say,” Risos said. How does he overcome that challenge? “I just lock myself in a room and don’t leave till I memorize the part.”
As the Barry-Hughes Performing Arts Center turns into Ancient Rome, the lines are memorized, the costumes are ready, and the curtain opens, people will see the countless hours of work that was required to make this play happen.
Productions of the play are scheduled for Friday, April 17th at 7:00 PM, Saturday, April 18th at 7:00 PM, and Sunday, April 19th at 2:00 PM.
