"Et tu, Brute?" The tall, handsome actor portraying Julius Caesar uttered this famous Shakespeare line and then collapsed onto the floor of the stage. Fake blood began to pool around the "dead" body. The curtain closed and it was intermission.

My friend Cheryl turned to me and asked, "So Mark, was it worth the trip?" I smiled. "Yeah, it was worth the trip. It's a good show."

Cheryl had convinced me to make the trip with her back to her alma mater to see the annual Shakespeare ...