Julius: Harlem's Caesar at El Barrio's ArtSpace PS109

Tier5 Theatre Company presents...
JULIUS: HARLEM'S CAESAR
by M. Hatten

"Harlem is Queer. Harlem is Black. Always will be."

Directed by M. Hatten and Maya Jeyam

Thursday, March 7th through Sunday, March 17th, 2024
Thursdays & Fridays at 7pm,
Saturdays at 2pm & 7pm,
Sundays at 2pm

All performances to take place at
El Barrio's ArtSpace PS109
215 E 99th St, New York, NY 10029

The theatre space is ADA-accessible.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

Julius: Harlem’s Caesar is a new reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s political tragedy set in the Harlem Renaissance. After a sold-out staged reading at The Tank in October 2023, we are so excited to present a fully staged production of M. Hatten’s thrilling script.

The Harlem of the 1930s was a place of hustle, bustle, and black magic at its finest. Once Henry Pompey, a local bootlegger, is murdered, Julius Baptiste is catapulted as his replacement. A year later, as he sets to open the first Black and queer supper club, all of Harlem is thrown into a frenzied civil war as many, who once followed Julius, question his ambitions, his sexuality, and what it means to be a Black man in a white man's world.

Join us at our little juke joint in East Harlem, where you'll be immersed in the music, magic, and danger of Julius: Harlem's Caesar.

Note: Elements of the show will be immersive, they are not interactive. We ask all patrons to respect the actors as they move through the space.

CW Warning: Mature and racially charged language, suicide, violence, murder, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, gunshots.
Recommended for ages 13+

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ABOUT THE TICKETS

General admission tickets are $30 each, with no assigned seating.

A limited number of Caesar's Table seats will be available for $55 at each performance. These include reserved, assigned seating at one of our juke joint's best tables, which will put you inside the action of the show. Also included with the cost of the ticket are a pre-show and intermission drink! Parties of four or more may be split up.

For each performance, a limited number of $10 tickets will be available. We encourage those who can afford to purchase the full-price ticket to reserve these $10 tickets for those who may need more financial assistance. No assigned seating.

Beware the Ides of March. In honor (or fear) of the Ides of March, all general admission tickets for the Friday, March 15th, 7pm performance will be $15.

Tickets are non-refundable. If you are unable to make your performance, we may be able to transfer your ticket to another show, based on availability.

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ABOUT THE EVENING

There will be a 15 minute intermission.

House will open 30 minutes prior to the curtain time. Late seating will be at the discretion of the house manager. No refunds will be provided for late arrivals.

No outside food allowed. Concessions will be available to purchase before the show and during intermission.

Masks are optional.

Directions

When entering El Barrio's ArtSpace, you will proceed through the gates, straight ahead into the main building. Inside the theatre, take the stairs or elevator to your right down one level. Once on the lower level, proceed to your right and you will see our box office table.

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CAST

Julius 'Caesar' Baptiste | PrinceAnthony Hall
Bruce Freeman | Christopher W. Clayton
Antoinette 'Toni' St. Marks | Le'Asha Julius
Raymond Henderson | Kenneth Laboy Vazquez
Phaedra Freeman | Anaela Lia
Nel Jones | Raekwon Fuller
Lorne Wilson | Jameal Bailey
Thelma Higgins | Aubree Chanel Dixon
Grady 'Moose' Brown | Gil Charleston
Cassius 'Cash' Ross | Camron Chapple
Octavia Baptiste | Nancy Umba
J. Reid - The Narrator | LeVane Harrington

Understudies:
Virginia Muturi, Da'Mar Levi, and Mario C. Brown

CREATIVES
Stage Manager | Sebastien Jean Louis
Sound Design | Michael Mejia
Scenic & Properties Design | M. Hatten
Lighting Design & Technical Management | Kim Sanchez
Intimacy Coordinator | Sushma Saha

Tier5 Executive Producer | James Cougar Canfield
Tier5 Associate Producer | Diane Bertrand-Goldsmith
Tier5 Associate Producer | M. Hatten

Produced by James Cougar Canfield, Jim Carl Canfield, Joni Canfield, and Tier5 Theatre Company.
 

ABOUT TIER5 THEATRE COMPANY

Founded in 2015 in London, then relocated to NYC, Tier5 takes classic tales and historical events and retells them on stage in a new light, focusing on bringing those excluded from the narrative right to centerstage.

Our previous award winning and critically acclaimed original shows include Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII (Hollywood Fringe International Award Winner 2017, regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare), meg jo beth amy & louisa (regional theatre premiere at Southwest Shakespeare Company), and The Christmas Carol: A Queer Fantasia (Metrosource Top Pick, premiered at the Access Theatre in NYC).

Founded in 2015 in London, then relocated to NYC, Tier5 takes classic tales and historical events and retells them on stage in a new light, focusing on bringing those excluded from the narrative right to centerstage. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tier5 began creating virtual content, including launching the Tier5 Sings! virtual concert series and our recent virtual new play festival, Fairytales From Home.

In 2021, Tier5 premiered our very first animated venture, Tier5's Romeo & Juliet: The Tragic Tale of Two Animal Cross-ed Lovers. Released in five parts over five weeks, the animated series combines the voice acting of our Tier5 talent with the adorable characters of the Nintendo video game phenomenon, Animal Crossing. It was featured in Digital World, an evening celebrating exceptional work in the digital arts. All episodes are currently available to stream on our YouTube channel.

In December 2022, after nearly a three-year hiatus from live performance, Tier5 returned to in-person productions with a staged reading of James Cougar Canfield’s latest play, Legend of the Chalk Circle, a wild and wacky retelling of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, at The Tank NYC. The reading was a sold-out success, and the show transferred to a full production in March 2023 at the American Theatre of Actors in NYC.

Tier5 has continued to partner with The Tank NYC to produce work-in-progress staged readings, including The Secret Garden by James Cougar Canfield (August 2023), Julius: Harlem’s Caesar by M. Hatten (October 2023), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by James Cougar Canfield (January 2024), and United in Love, Until Death by Amanda Thomas (January 2024).

Tier5’s focus on revisiting classic tales and historical narratives in a modern context with contemporary voices, humor, and pathos has become a staple of the company. Tier5 believes in and will continue to strive towards creating a safe, inclusive, and anti-racist environment for our creatives, actors, and audiences.