Folger Theatre presents Julius X: A Re envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
Folger Theatre announced the cast and creative team for Julius X: A Re-envisioning of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, written by Al Letson, directed by Nicole Brewer, and starring Brandon Carter in the title role. The first production of Folger Theatre's 2025-26 season, performances will run from September 23 through October 26, 2025, at the Folger Shakespeare Library's Elizabethan-style Theatre on Capitol Hill.
"This is not the story you know, but somewhere in-between' is how Julius X begins, reminding us that this story is not fact but an imagined truth that blends two iconic historical characters," stated Artistic Director and Director of Artistic Programs Karen Ann Daniels. "Just like Shakespeare did with Julius Caesar, which he adapted from Plutarch, Al Letson created a dramatized mythology of Malcolm and Caesar to help us explore the struggle for power, friendship, and free will in our own age."
Peabody Award-winning journalist, podcast host, comic book creator, and playwright Al Letson (Reveal podcast from the Center for Investigative Reporting; DC Comics' Mr. Terrific: Year One) takes Shakespeare's classic tragedy Julius Caesar and reworks it through the lens of the American Civil Rights Movement, drawing parallels between ancient Rome and 1960s Harlem. Directed by DC-based theater artist Nicole Brewer (Folger Theatre's Reading Room Festival's By the Queen, The House That Will Not Stand at Howard University), Julius X explores the historical weight of Malcolm X's last days and legacy and the cyclical nature of ambition, power, and revolution. In this retelling, Letson's experience as a spoken word artist and Brewer's use of soundscapes made by the cast creates a lyrical tragedy.
"In many ways, you already know the story-whether through Shakespeare or American history," Brewer shared. "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. Ultimately, Julius X is a love story of the brotherly love that exists between Black men for their faith, their community, and each other-struggling against internal and external forces that oppose the very existence of that love."
"Julius X was inspired basically by being told that I wasn't going to get cast for Mark Antony in a production of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, because back then they weren't doing colorblind casting," stated Letson. "So, I thought like screw it, I'm going to write my own. I had just such a deep love for Shakespeare's text when I was in 10th grade, I remember hearing Mark Antony's speech and it just blew me away. I also read The Autobiography of Malcolm X when I was in 7th grade, and that stayed with me. Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar really fit almost perfectly with Malcolm X's life. They were very different men, but their circumstances just overlapped really well. Malcolm was a man who was deeply committed to the fight for Civil Rights, and one of the most beautiful things about his life is that you can look at him and you can see him learn and change over time."
Brandon Carter, a renowned Shakespearean actor well-known to local audiences (Folger Theatre's Romeo and Juliet; American Shakespeare Center: The Henriad, Julius Caesar) stars as the tragic hero Julius X. The acting company features Jonathan Del Palmer (Folger Theatre's The
Winter's Tale) as Marc Anthony, Jay Frisby (Ford's Theatre: Little Shop of Horrors) as Cassius, Lilli Hokama (Folger Theatre's Twelfth Night, Amadeus) as Addara, Greg Alverez Reid (Studio Theatre: Fat Ham, Helen Hayes Ensemble Award nomination) as Brutus, OBIE Award winner Nikkole Salter (By the Queen, Reading Room Festival 2025) as Calpurnia, Gaelyn D. Smith (Studio Theatre: Fat Ham, Helen Hayes Ensemble Award nomination) as Cinna and Black Soothsayer, Shawn Sebastian Naar (Anacostia Playhouse: Sunset Baby, Helen Hayes Award
nomination for Outstanding Lead Performer) as Octavius and Marullus, Dwayne Alistair Thomas (Baltimore Center Stage: Akeelah and the Bee) as Casca and Flavius, and Renee Elizabeth Wilson (Folger Theatre's Romeo and Juliet; Metamorphoses, Helen Hayes Ensemble Award nomination) as Portia.
The creative team includes Shawn Short (Choreographer), Jonathan Dahm Robertson (Scenic Designer), who designed Folger Theatre's DC Metro-inspired Romeo and Juliet set last season, Danielle Preston (Costume Designer), Porsche McGovern (Lighting Designer), Thom J.
Woodward (Sound Designer), Andres Poch (Projection Designer), Isabel Simoes deCarvalho (Props Designer), and John "Ray" Proctor (Dramaturg, and Voice and Text Coach), who directed Folger Theatre's staged reading of Six Othellos at the Reading Room Festival, 2024.