Julius Caesar

Folger Shakespeare Theatre

Washington, DC
Fall 2014

Direction: Robert Richmond
Scene Design: Tony Cisek
Costume Design: Mariah Hale
Sound Design: Eric Shemeolonis
Lighting Design: Jim Hunter

DC Metro Theatre Arts - Best of 2014

The staff of DC Metro Theatre Arts recognized Julius Caesar as one of the Best Plays in Professional Theatres of 2014 in DC Metro Area Theatres.

The staff of DC Metro Theatre Arts recognized Julius Caesar as one of the Best in Design of 2014 in DC Metro Area Theatres in the following categories:
Scene Design: Tony Cisek for Julius Caesar at The Folger Theatre
Lighting Design: Jim Hunter for Julius Caesar at The Folger Theatre
Sound Design: Eric Shimelonis for Julius Caesar at The Folger Theatre




“JULIUS CAESAR is visually stunning – This is a production not to miss – a riveting visual feast – Jim Hunter's kaleidoscopic lighting design added flavor and mood to the striking scenic design by Tony Cisek. ”

–Jeffery Walker –Broadway World.Com –Nov. 5, 2014


“– a strikingly imaginative production of Julius Caesar – this is a Caesar for the 21st Century, with important things to say about how we live in our newly terrifying world – the haunting design elements, the overwhelmingly evocative visuals and sound, and the overall sheer impact of his vision brings us an artist's perspective not only on Caesar but on our own time as well – Jim Hunter's lighting design, like Hale's costumes, uses imperial purple to great effect. He cites as sources of imagery such phrases as forbidding omen, violently providential storms, and bloody realistic assassination. The results are alternatively lovely and shocking. ”

–Sophia Howes – DC Metro Theatre Arts – Nov. 3, 2014


“Robert Richmond's stunning, mystical production of Julius Caesar. – Richmond once again smartly employs lighting designer Jim Hunter and sound designer Eric Shimelonis to conjure the right shadowy, foggy, ominous sense of place. – Everything here is stylized in an evocative, even elegant manner, with every detail carefully thought out ”

– Doug Rule – Metro Weekly – Nov. 7, 2014


“The Julius Caesar playing at Folger Theatre is haunted, funereal and apparently eternal – a Caesar bubbling up from the pits of hell. Director Robert Richmond has set the play in a grim stone structure that easily doubles as a Roman forum and a memorial, with an eternal flame watched over by hooded ghosts – given extra menace via Jim Hunter's shadowy lighting ”

– Nelson Pressley – Washington Post –Nov. 3, 2014


“Director Robert Richmond and set designer Tony Cisek go for the universals here. Aided considerably by Jim Hunter's spooky but effective lighting scheme – have created a highly original and absolutely riveting production that's viscerally exciting, brilliantly intellectual and hauntingly staged in a way that perfectly blends the actions, the sensations, and the drama's cynical moral and personal core. ”

– Terry Ponick – Communities Digital News – Nov. 8, 2014


“Robert Richmond's spine-tingling production at the Folger - has mined the deep veins of ambition, supernatural fear, and political violence that spread through the script like bloody fingers - witness a consequential scene of dark plotting and dangerous intentions; Jim Hunter's lighting and Eric Shimelonis' eerie sound design emphasize the deadly 'other world' presence that oversees these historical events.”

– Maggie Lawrence – Daily Progress – Nov. 20, 2014


“Jim Hunter's exemplary lighting design.”

– Eric Minton – Shakespearances.com – Nov. 4, 2014



Lighting Design Renderings



Basic Look With Scenery Visible Upstage Of Plexiglass Surround






Pleixglass Surround Can Appear Solid






Portia Reflects Near Fountain






The Wraiths






Act Two. WWII Battle




Go to Hunter Web Site Home Page