The Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film will stage a production of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” starting Jan. 23.

The production is directed by Ian Borden, associate professor of performance/directing and theatre studies. Technical elements of the production are kept to a minimum to showcase student actors and allow them to focus on the text of the iconic work.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, 24 and 25, and 2 p.m. Jan. 25 in the Lab Theatre, third floor of the Temple Building. Tickets, available online, are $10 each. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door one hour before curtain.

The play raises age-old questions of the force of fate in life versus our capacity for free will. Caesar’s rising power is seen as a threat with Cassius and Brutus blaming themselves for their failure to assert themselves. Characters confuse their private selves with their public selves which transforms them into ruthless political machines.

“Julius Caesar” considers the relationship between rhetoric and power. The ability to make things happen by words alone is the most powerful type of authority. The tension in the play comes from the question of whether Caesar’s position in power is ethically acceptable or not, and whether men of good conscience can allow a man like Caesar to hold such power over the Roman citizens.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln students featured in the cast include: Michael Zavodny as Julius Caesar, Emma Parizek as Marc Antony, Jesse Turos as Brutus, and Mia Hilt as Cassius. Ensemble members playing multiple characters include Kami Cooper, Beck Damron, Daniel Darter, Faye Davis, Caroline Friend, Daniel Hernandez, Shay Jowers, Nadine Rayburn, Francie Traxler, Arin Turnage, Aurora Villareal, and Nadia Ra’Shaun Williams. Malin Hayden is the stage manager.