It is part a campaign by far-right activists following a scandal around Trump-like Caesar in a production by New York’s Public Theater.
Theatres bearing the name of the renowned British playwright receive threats from Donald Trump supporters and right-wing activists. The storm of angry messages followed protests organised by conservatives in New York over a new production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar by New York’s Public Theater, where the title character looked like Donald Trump. In the performance, the main character is killed with a knife.
The production ran in the theatre for a month until the final performance last Sunday. The performance in Central Park was interrupted by two protesters, who shouted “Liberal hate kills” and “Goebbels will be proud”. Both were arrested on charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct, the Guardian reports.
Other performances of Public Theater’s interpretation of Julius Caeasar were also interrupted by activists. The theatre has lost its two biggest sponsors due to the controversial production, protests by conservatives and attention from the media. Protests against New York’s theatre that staged the scandalous interpretation of Shakespeare’s play affected other US theatres bearing the playwright’s name.
Organisers of an all-year Shakespeare festival in Lenox, Massachusetts, received about 40 messages with threats, the Boston Globe reports. Authors wrote awful things about theatre staff, wishing them death and using swear words.
Raphael Parry, artistic director at Shakespeare Dallas, reports about 80 messages with threats, including rape and death threats. They included the wish to be “sent to Isis to be killed with real knives”, a reference to the assassination of the title character in Julius Caesar.
The debate over violence against Trump on the theatre’s stage became especially hot after recent attacks on a Republican congressman, an aide, a lobbyist and a police officer. The participating sides raise questions about a possible effect of the interpretation of Shakespeare’s play on society. These events made the split between democratic and republican supporters even deeper.
Allyn Burrows, Shakespeare & Company’s artistic director, told the Washington Post that his company was always ready for strong reactions from the public.
“If you’re an arts institution and you want to create conversations, it’s going to come in all forms. And don't be horrified if people have emotional reactions to stuff. That’s where we’re at,” he says.
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