Fiona Ramsay on Shake the Sword!

Fiona Ramsay as “Elizabeth I” in *Julius Caesar*

The latest episode of the TCC podcast, Shake the Sword!, features doyenne of the South African stage and screen Dr. Fiona Ramsay. As a performing artist and an academic, Ramsay has a plethora of insights to offer about “doing Shakespeare”. Ramsay brought decades of acting experience to her work with students at Wits University, where she headed up the Division of Dramatic Arts prior to her retirement. She continues to be a trailblazing theatre maker, winning the 2025 Fleur du Cap award for Best Performance in a One-person Show for her depiction of Stella Goldschlag in Blonde Poison - and recently starring in Abrahamse & Meyer Productions’ Julius Caesar.

This Julius Caesar cleverly provides an Elizabethan framework for Shakespeare’s Roman play, recalling the Essex rebellion against Queen Elizabeth in 1599 and the allusion in the opening chorus of Henry V to Essex’s popularity. Ramsay thus portrays Elizabeth “playing” Caesar in a production that weaves together various historical periods (including the present day).

This invigorating premise facilitates a conversation between Ramsay and TCC Director Chris Thurman that ranges from costuming to current affairs, from Shakespeare in translation to the use of accents as a tool for teachers and performers.

Thurman and Ramsay conducted the interview during a break from the Blonde Poison “get in” at the Drama Factory in Somerset West. Their discussion includes Ramsay’s reflections on her journey with Goldschlag - a notorious Nazi collaborator who helped the Gestapo to catch Jewish people who were hiding in Berlin during the Second World War.

You can listen to this episode of Shake the Sword! via Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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