Sheffield Theatres in Cutting Edge Collaboration for Julius Caesar

2nd June 2017

For his first production on the Crucible stage, Julius Caesar, Sheffield Theatres' Artistic Director, Robert Hastie has collaborated with two Sheffield businesses, showcasing the traditional craftsmanship of bespoke knife-maker Stuart Mitchell and BAFTA award-winning digital agency Joi Polloi.

From his workshop in Sheffield's historic Portland Works, craftsman Stuart Mitchell has created 7 custom-built stage knives for the production.  Made from stainless steel specially manufactured for the project at the city's Outokumpu steelworks, to a specification from stage designer Ben Stones, the knives play a crucial part in Shakespeare's historical drama. To enhance the off-stage experience, BAFTA award-winning digital agency Joi Polloi, have co-created an interactive online micro-site, Explore Julius Caesar, to provide people with a deeper understanding of the both the theatre and the production.  The site, which features exclusive backstage content, interviews with the Creative Team and in-depth information on the plot and characters, is also aimed at supporting students studying performing arts and drama. To view the micro-site please go to: productions.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk Robert Hastie commented: Julius Caesar is a play about a city, and in creating this production it's been important to me that we see our own city reflected on stage. In addition to partnering with Stuart Mitchell and Joi Polloi, the citizens of Rome are played by a host of members of Sheffield People's Theatre. This has been my first opportunity to witness the extraordinary craftsmanship of the great makers we have both in the city and at Sheffield Theatres, whose skills from costume to carpentry are at the heart of what we do. Nick Crossland, Creative Director of Joi Polloi added: We've really enjoyed working with Sheffield Theatres on Explore Julius Caesar. It's such a creative, stylish and sophisticated production, with so much talent and energy both on the stage and behind the scenes, we wanted to produce an online experience which did it justice. We found it really eye-opening to see everything that goes on behind the scenes on a production like this, and we hope the site will let people around the world share in that excitement, and enhance the experience of theatre-goers in Sheffield. Tickets for Julius Caesar can be purchased from Sheffield Theatres' Box Office in-person, by phone on 0114 249 6000 or online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk and are priced from £15.00.