‘Shakespeare’ theaters bearing misguided brunt of social media anger

Social media is letting off some very loud steam — albeit some misguided in nature — over the Public Theater’s controversial staging of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” in New York City.

A Boston Globe story on Friday notes that regional theaters, which include the word “Shakespeare” in their official company names (or are staging Shakespeare’s works), have been on the receiving end of “venomous e-mails, phone messages, and social media posts condemning them for the Central Park production” intended for New York’s Public Theater instead.

Condemnation over the Public Theater’s staging of the Shakespeare tragedy has been so widespread that two of the theater’s sponsors, Delta Air Lines and Bank of America dropped their financial support of the troupe, and the production, respectively, over the show, which includes the stabbing assassination of a Trumplike Julius Caesar. A spokesperson for Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Sunday said the company has not been contacted by anyone via harassing messages over the Public Theater production.

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