Saying "Yes" to JULIUS CAESAR by Kevin Thomas McKeon

Kevin Thomas McKeon will be playing Julius Caesar in Freehold's Engaged Theatre production of JULIUS CAESAR this summer.

It's often difficult for me to be an actor because of family and work and financial considerations, but every so often a project comes up that demands that I put life aside and go for it. I wrestle with the task of being an actor anyway, always have; it's a love-hate thing (and a much longer blog post), that steers me away from seeking just ANY acting job.

But when Robin Lynn-Smith told me about Julius Caesar and what she was planning to do with it I had one of those moments where I saw a clear path in front of me. If I had issues about the selfishness of acting versus responsibility, this project by nature gave me a reason, larger than myself, to want to participate. The facilities tour, the audiences that we would encounter, the blind faith it would take to even mount such a show - all of a sudden the task ahead seemed incredibly self-less. It was the kind of project that, when I was much younger and idealistic, I imagined myself doing. And here was Robin, fearless, committed and incredibly enthusiastic, giving me all the right reasons to join up and be a part of it.

So here we are in the second week of a whirlwind rehearsal period. It's whirlwind because of all the stuff going on with the movement, music and pageantry aspect of the production, not to mention merely telling the story as actors. Can you spell a-m-b-i-t-i-o-u-s? Dude, it's all here. We got Gods descending from scaffolding, we got major-label quality musicians working on some incredible stuff, crafting it as we work. We got I don't know how many folks slithering and writhing and yelling and rejoicing and all it takes to embody Robin's creative tour-de-force. We used to do those trust exercises when I was an acting student (all young and idealistic) - you know - where you close your eyes and fall back into the circle, and trust that people will be there to catch you? Believe me, a lot of years have passed since then, but here I am, falling back into the circle (literally) and trusting the support. Hey! It still works!



Stay tuned ... more blog postings weekly from other JULIUS CAESAR Cast Members!
Public Performances of JULIUS CAESAR:

Wednesday, July 7, 6:30 pm at Seward Park, Amphitheater
Saturday, July 10 at 8:00 pm at Broadway Performance Hall
Sunday, July 11 at 5:00 pm at Broadway Performance Hall

More information on our Engaged Theatre Summer Tour: Engaged Theatre