HARRISBURG — Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival will present William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” Nov. 1 – 23 at Gamut Classic Theatre on the third Floor of Strawberry Square, off Third Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

This popular Shakespearean tragedy tells the story of Marcus Brutus, played by Jeremy Garrett, and how he is lured into a conspiracy on the life of Julius Caesar, played by Kent McNeillie. Pulling the strings at the heart of the conspiracy is Cassius, played by David Newhouse.

HSF Artistic Director J. Clark Nicholson sees many contemporary and historical parallels in “Julius Caesar,” and has given the production a neutral backdrop in order to bring the story itself to the forefront.

Nicholson was inspired by the Eugene Jarecki documentary “Why We Fight,” which examines the anatomy of the American military machine.

“In the film, they examine President Eisenhower’s final speech in 1961, warning the American public against the growth of what he called the ‘military-industrial complex.’ There are definite parallels between the American military machine and Caesar’s Roman Empire,” says Nicholson.

The elegantly simple costume design by Jennifer Kilander includes handmade masks for nearly all of the actors. With a cast of sixteen, the masks enable each actor to play multiple roles, although each actor will play at least one role unmasked.

The set design by Jeremy Garrett gives an open and classical feel to the playing area, and will employ swaths of fabric to help tell the story of the transition of power.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $17 for students and seniors. Fridays are Bring a Friend nights — buy one ticket and get one free. Sundays are BYOP (Bring Your Own Price), where any size donation buys your ticket to the show. For information, phone 717-238-4111 or visit www.gamutplays.org.