On Friday, September 11, the lawns of Bicentennial Park in Boulder City will transform into ancient Rome. The Nevada Shakespeare Festival, in partnership with Main Street Boulder City, will present Julius Caesar: Welcome to Rome on the Edge at the park's gazebo bandstand, a free, family-friendly performance that continues a growing tradition of bringing the Bard to this small Nevada town.
The production is a far cry from a stuffy classroom recitation. The Nevada Shakespeare Festival, led by artistic director Matt Morgan, is dedicated to engaging and inspiring communities through the works of William Shakespeare and the performing arts, and this adaptation brings that mission to life in the park.
The performance follows the festival's spring 2026 production of Henry V, which drew a large and appreciative crowd to Bicentennial Park in March. That performance, hosted by Main Street Boulder City and the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, featured six actors who each played six to eight characters during an 80-minute show. The fall production of Julius Caesar follows that same model of theatrical efficiency. The festival has also presented this adaptation at the Windmill Public Library in the Las Vegas Valley.
The setting itself is part of the appeal. Bicentennial Park, located at 999 Colorado Street in the heart of Boulder City's historic district, sits just steps from the city's downtown restaurants and bars. Organizers encourage attendees to make an evening of it, whether by dining at a local eatery before the show or bringing a picnic to enjoy on the lawn. Lawn chairs and blankets are recommended.
The choice of Julius Caesar carries a certain resonance for a town like Boulder City. Shakespeare's play about political power, loyalty, and the consequences of ambition feels fitting for a community with its own remarkable history of building something monumental. The production's title, 'Welcome to Rome on the Edge,' hints at the chaos to come.
The Nevada Shakespeare Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging and inspiring communities through the works of William Shakespeare and the performing arts. The festival was co-founded by Matt Morgan and his wife, Heidi Brucker Morgan, along with collaborators including the City of Henderson and producing director Michael Rice. Morgan, a professional actor and clown who has appeared in Strip shows like Absinthe and Opium, was inspired to start the festival after reading that 25,000 people drive from Las Vegas to Cedar City, Utah every summer to attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival. 'Let me have half of those people,' he recalled thinking. Beyond capturing that audience, Morgan has emphasized the importance of youth engagement, saying that Shakespeare doesn't have to be boring and that the plays can be cut, changed, adapted, and reimagined in any number of ways.
That spirit of reinvention is central to the festival's approach, which Morgan has described as making Shakespeare for people who don't like it, would never pay to see it, don't understand it, and don't care. The hook may be the spectacle, but the goal is always to get audiences to pay attention to the story, the relationships, and the characters that make Shakespeare's work endure.
For Boulder City residents, the event is also a chance to experience live theater in a setting that feels uniquely suited to it. On September 11, the gazebo will host the drama of Roman politics, played out against the backdrop of a small Nevada town with its own remarkable history of building something monumental.
The performance is free and open to the public, though registration is requested to help organizers with event planning. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, claim a spot on the lawn, and settle in for an evening that promises to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. It's a chance to experience one of Shakespeare's most powerful plays in a relaxed outdoor setting, surrounded by the charm of Boulder City's historic downtown and the warm enthusiasm of a community that has embraced the Bard as its own.