Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

This bold new play takes Shakespeare’s classic tragedy Julius Caesar and reworks it through the lens of the American Civil Rights Movement, focusing on the story of Civil Rights leader Malcolm X and drawing parallels between ancient Rome and 1960s Harlem.

Playwright and poet Al Letson, a Peabody Award-winning journalist and the host of the Reveal podcast, champions Shakespeare’s original text, amplifying it with his own verse.

“In many ways, you already know the story—whether through Shakespeare or American history,” shares director Nicole Brewer, “but you’re compelled to watch it unfold again, because of how Letson remixes his own verse with excerpts from Malcolm X’s speeches and the most notable lines and scenes from Julius Caesar.”

In Julius X, we see the cyclical nature of societal strife, as well as the shared human experiences of ambition, betrayal, and brotherhood.