Julius Caesar is Shakespeare’s political thriller, a masterpiece of intrigue and treachery. Stand witness to the assassination that leads to a life and death struggle for power in the Republic. Citizens mutiny, Mark Antony schemes, and the fate of Rome hangs in the balance.

Gaz Simpson and Diana Simmonds invited actor Russell Smith into Arts Tuesday to further discuss Bell Shakespeare’s production that’s seething with rage, leaving audiences breathless at how quickly violence reveals the fragility of democracy.