Unbowed ‘Julius Caesar’ director urges artists ‘take risks’
NEW YORK — The theatre director who endured death threats and lost corporate sponsors after staging a Donald Trump-inspired version of “Julius Caesar” has a message to any artist fearful of facing similar backlash — don’t flinch.
“We can’t allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed. We can’t allow ourselves to feel we’re completely isolated. We’re not,” Oskar Eustis, artistic director of The Public Theater, told The Associated Press.
“We’re speaking for the majority of the country and we need to draw strength from that and step out and take the risks that will really fulfil the arts’ historic function.”
Eustis sparked controversy when he chose to portray Caesar as an ego-driven populist with fluffy blond hair, a gold bathtub and a leggy Slovenian wife for his free Shakespeare in the Park summer production.