Seton Hill University Theatre Presents “Julius Caesar” Feb. 24 to March 4

The Seton Hill University Theatre and Dance Program will present William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” Feb. 24 to March 4 in the William Granger Ryan Theatre, Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa. Tickets are $15, with student and group rates available. Call the Seton Hill Performing Arts Center Box Office for tickets at 724-552-2929 or purchase tickets online.

To preserve the health and safety of students, faculty and staff, we will be requiring masks at public events, regardless of vaccination status, when the COVID-19 transmission rate in Westmoreland County is high as reported by the CDC. When the transmission rate is medium or low, masks are required only for those who are not fully vaccinated and boosted.

Performances: February 24, 25 and March 3 and 4: 8 p.m.; February 25 and March 4: 2 p.m.

Fake news, conspiracies, scandals, betrayals, and a political assassination commemorated on coinage are all captured in William Shakespeare’s powerful "Julius Caesar." Dirty, deadly politics BCE echo unnervingly in this (largely) true telling of history lessons not learned.

CONTENT WARNING: This play contains references to and instances of violence, self-harm, and suicide. This production takes a contemporary approach, which may make the historical and fictional events upsetting to certain individuals.

The Seton Hill student cast of “Julius Caesar” includes Dimitri Apodiakos of Belle Vernon, Pa., as Julius Caesar/Octavius Caesar/Ghost of Caesar; Connery Brown of Aliquippa, Pa., as Marcus Antonius; Samantha Sheldon of Catonsville, Md., as Marcus Brutus; Veronica Buell of Duxbury, Mass., as Caius Cassius; Kinsley Beachler of Pittsburgh, Pa., as Casca/Poet; Mya Clay of McDonald, Pa., as Trebonius/Cobbler; Taylor Humenay of Clearfield, Pa., as Decius Brutus/Lucilius; Tara Dougherty of Jefferson Hills, Pa., as Cinna/Marullus/Field Reporter; Rowan Mentzer of Greenville, Pa., as Soothsayer/Artemidorus/Messala/Newscaster; Daniel Velasquez of Summerhill, Pa., as Lucius/Cinna the Poet; Channing Griffin of Munhall, Pa., as Titinius; Madisyn Faux of Munhall, Pa., as Portia/Young Cato; Sofie Poborski of South Fork, Pa., as Pindarus; and Kelly Long of Lock Haven, Pa., as Calpurnia/Strato.

The Seton Hill student technical staff includes Kaileen Stevens of Cortland, Ohio, Poster Design; Kelly Long of Lock Haven, Pa., Announcer/Electrician; Abigail George of Gibsonia, Pa., Stage Manager/Fight Captain; Emma Corall of Harrison City, Pa., Assistant Stage Manager; Peyton Corsetti of Coraopolis, Pa., Deck/Run Crew; Rachel Dietsch of Russell, Pa., Projection Design; Tyawna Meyers of Central City, Pa., Light Board Operator; Corisa Saitta of Bethel Park, Pa., Abigail Rocks of New Salem, Pa., Daniel Velasquez of Summerhill, Pa., Christopher Brown of Forestville, Md., Electricians; Taylor Humenay of Clearfield, Pa., Student Dramaturg; Kinsley Beachler of Pittsburgh, Pa., Peyton Corsetti of Coraopolis, Pa., Amanda MacMurtrie of Collegeville, Pa., Rowan Mentzer of Collegeville, Pa., Sofie Poborski of South Fork, Pa., Lumen Roach of Johnstown, Pa., Alyson Taylor of Nassau, Bahamas, Sarah Wells of Pittsburgh, Pa., Penny Zamborsky of Homestead, Pa., Costume Shop Crew; Abby Breznak of Lititz, Pa., Paige McConlogue of Scranton, Pa., Sage Evans of Duncansville, Pa., Carissa O’Masta of Smithton, Pa., Delaney Bortz of Delmont, Pa., Penny Zamborsky of Homestead, Pa., Dressers; Megan Ammons of Hunker, Pa., Corisa Saitta of Bethel Park, Pa., Wardrobe Laundry Crew; McKenna Yutzy of Belle Vernon, Pa., Madisyn Faux of Munhall, Pa., Christopher Brown of Forestville, Md., Devon Young of Pittsburgh, Pa., Alexandra Tompkins of Mount Pleasant, Pa., Tara Dougherty of Jefferson Hills, Pa, Katherine McCarty of Butler, Pa., Dimitri Apodiakos of Belle Vernon, Pa., Veronica Buell of Duxbury, Mass., Jake Starek of Harrison City, Pa., Robin Ward of Ruffs Dale, Pa., Scene Shop and Production Crew; and Tess Stiffler of Penfield, N.Y., Taylor Humenay of Clearfield, Pa., Jamie Keys of Plattsburgh, N.Y., Gabriel List of Irwin, Pa., Larissa Walker of Pittsburgh, Pa., Madison Buckley of Westlake, Ohio, Scenic Paint and Props Crew.

The Seton Hill University production of “Julius Caesar” is directed by Denise Pullen, Associate Professor of Theatre. Artistic and Production Staff include Karen Glass, Assistant Professor of Theatre, set design, charge scenic artist and properties manager; lisa leibering, Assistant Professor of Theatre, costume director and costume design; Ken Clothier, Assistant Professor of Theatre, lighting design; Elaine Montgomery, costume shop manager; Dwight Brown and Justin Anderson of Good Sounds, LLC, sound design and sound mixer; Caila Yates, technical director and production manager; and Michael Petyak, fight choreography.

Venue Information: All Seton Hill Theatre performances are held in the William Granger Ryan Theatre in Seton Hill’s Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Avenue, Greensburg, Pa.  The Performing Arts Center is a fully accessible and climate-controlled facility.  Parking is available in four nearby Greensburg parking areas:  the Bell Parking Garage on North Otterman Street (across the street from the Performing Arts Center), the Hellman-Ghrist lot on North Main Street, the Albert Grillo lot on Seton Hill Drive and the Wib Albright lot off West Otterman Street.  

Ticket Information:  Single admission tickets are $15.  Seton Hill students (with valid ID) can purchase tickets for $5.  Non-Seton Hill students (with a valid school ID) can purchase advance tickets for $13.  Students from any school can purchase rush tickets five minutes before curtain, subject to availability, for $5 (with valid school ID).  Groups of six or more can purchase tickets at a rate of $11 each with a reservation and advance payment. Order tickets online at by phone at 724-552-2929, or by mail at SHUPAC Box Office, Seton Hill University, 1 Seton Hill Drive, Greensburg, Pa. 15601-1599.  Box Office Hours are Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. and three hours before a performance

Seton Hill University’s Performing Arts Center is 73,000 square feet of everything a performing arts major needs to move from student to professional.   The Center houses two dedicated, flexible performance spaces, the Carol Ann Reichgut Concert Hall and the William Granger Ryan Theatre. The Center also includes a performance studio, new classrooms, rehearsal rooms and technical areas that include the best equipment for learning and performing, from Steinway pianos to the latest in lighting, sound, video and acoustics.  The Center is located in downtown Greensburg, putting it squarely in the middle of the city’s cultural district yet still only minutes from Seton Hill’s main hilltop campus.

The Seton Hill University Theatre and Dance Program has a long history of educating performing arts majors for professional careers while playing a vital role in the educational life of the campus.  Seton Hill’s Theatre and Dance Program offers five full-length productions (as well as a number of shorter works) each year that generate audiences of over 3,500 and speak to topics addressed in courses across Seton Hill’s curriculum.  For more information on the Theatre Program at Seton Hill, please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 724-552-2934.

Photo: Dimitri Apodiakos, Samantha Sheldon and Veronica Buell in the Seton Hill University production of “Julius Caesar”