Julius Caesar Variety Show

“Nesbitt’s driven satire drew on a very clear strain of historical abuse in Irish theatre.” — Chris McCormack

“When we watch a black actor (a nicely wary Loré Adewusi) being perceived by a white director only through demands of representativeness, as able only to play roles warped by violence, it opens up questions about an industry that produces only plays with majority white casts. Can we say this is fiction?” — The Irish Times

Nominated for 4 Dublin Fringe Awards: Best Ensemble, Fishamble New Writing Award, Radical Spirit Award, Solas Nua New Writing Award

Cast: Pattie Maguire Ultan Pringle Daniel Mahon Loré Adewusi Conrad Jones-Brangan

Director: Joy Nesbitt

Producer: Ois O’Donoghue

Sound Designer: Martha Knight

Joy Nesbitt is a director, writer, and musician originally from Dallas, Texas. Currently based in London, Joy is inspired by stories of Black Femininity and postcolonial imagination. She has been named on The Irish Times and Sunday Times’ lists of “Ones to Watch in 2024.” In 2022, Joy attended the Theatre Directing MFA at The Lir National Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is a 2021 recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts for the sum of her artistic activities at Harvard University. She has been nominated for the Verity Bargate Award, Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, Fishamble New Writing Award, Solas Nua New Voices Award, and the Radical Spirit Award. Joy has been a Director SEED for Rough Magic Theatre Company, a Writer under the mentorship of Enda Walsh for Theatre For One with Landmark Productions, and a member of the 2023 cohort of the Rachel Baptiste Programme at Smock Alley Theatre. Joy is also a recipient of the Virgin Media Discovers commission for her short film, The Knife, and she has showcased her short film, Letter, at the Galway Film Fleadh 2024. Explore her work at www.joynesbitt.com

Film credits include The Knife (Virgin Media, Keeper Pictures, 2024), Letter (Keeper Pictures, 2024), Anger Management (Self-Produced, 2020), Faces (Self-Produced, 2020), and Getting Along (Self-Produced, 2020).

Stage Writing Credits include JULIUS CAESAR VARIETY SHOW (Dublin Fringe Festival 2024), GRIMM (Dublin Youth Theatre 2024), Dear Rosa (Landmark Productions 2024), Good (Baptiste Programme 2023), Dinner Party (Tenderfoot at The Civic Theatre 2023), Meditations on Somebodiness (2022).

Stage Directing credits include JULIUS CAESAR VARIETY SHOW by Joy Nesbitt (2024, The New Theatre), Boyfriends by Ultan Pringle (2024, Project Arts Centre), My Sister in This House by Wendy Kesselman (2024, The Lir Academy), Spear by CN Smith (2024, Corrib Theatre), Listen, A Black Woman is Speaking by Marlow Wyatt (2023, Project Arts Centre), The King of All Birds by Martha Knight (2023, Project Arts Centre), endings. by Fionntán Larney (2023, Project Arts Centre and Smock Alley Theatre), Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (2022, The Lir Academy), Reflections by Joy Nesbitt and Pedro Pacheco (2022, The Lir Academy), Canonical by Scout Black (2022, Smock Alley Theatre), Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute (2021, Harvard University); R+J: An Ultramodern Fantasia by William Shakespeare (2020, Harvard Univeristy); God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (2020, Harvard University); Dreamgirls by Henry Krieger and Tom Eyen (2020, American Repertory Theatre); Mamma Mia (2019, American Repertory Theatre); and A Very Potter Musical (2018, American Repertory Theatre). She has assisted on productions by Ronan Phelan, Dan Colley and Tom Creed.