Rome to Right Now: Why Julius Caesar Still Feels Like Breaking News
Find me with New York Classical Theatre under the open skies.
This summer, from June 2 - July 5 something extraordinary is happening in New York City parks. Under open skies, surrounded by strangers, families, students, elders, and passersby, audiences will gather to experience one of history’s most enduring stories about power, persuasion, public opinion, loyalty, fear, and political performance: William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, presented by New York Classical Theatre.
And I am proud—through Civics Is Sexy—to partner with NY Classical for a new public engagement initiative we’re calling Rome to Right Now. Because many might agree that Julius Caesar doesn’t feel all that old in 2026.
Long before algorithms, cable news, influencers, or viral misinformation, there was rhetoric, spectacle, crowd psychology, reputation management, and public manipulation. There were politicians performing virtue while consolidating power, and citizens attempting to determine who to trust.
There were people asking, “What makes someone fit to lead?” What happens when fear overtakes principle? How easily can public opinion be manipulated? When does resistance become justified? And how fragile are democratic systems, really?
As someone who witnessed the events of January 6 firsthand, I can say these are not abstract questions buried in dusty text. They are urgent, living questions. That’s why I was delighted when NY Classical reached out to partner with Civics Is Sexy. There may be no more powerful home for learning about civics than in arts and culture, where stories create the emotional connection that just might turn spectators into critical thinkers, and ultimately, into civic participants.
Democratic systems are not self-sustaining. They are only as strong as the public’s willingness to protect them. Public dialogue, civic literacy, and critical thinking shouldn’t be optional luxuries in a democracy. They should be integral.
Why We’re Partnering With New York Classical Theatre
As a wonderful respite from the isolating nature of doomscrolling, NY Classical has created a space where people can gather, reflect, debate, laugh, and see themselves within larger societal conversations. Such an essential thing for a healthy society!
For 26 years, NY Classical has been providing free public performances that transform parks into living theater spaces, where the park itself becomes the stage. Unlike traditional theater, audiences physically move through the park alongside the actors as the story unfolds. Strangers walk together, react together, and experience the performance collectively in real time.
Their productions remove barriers between audiences and art. No tickets required. No elite gatekeeping. Just people, performance, public space, and collective experience.
In a time when loneliness, polarization, and distrust are rising, there is something profoundly civic about strangers gathering in a park to wrestle together with questions of power, ethics, persuasion, and collective responsibility.
Rome to Right Now
Through this collaboration, Civics Is Sexy will create civic engagement activations around select performances of NY Classical’s Julius Caesar production, helping audiences decode Shakespeare and connect the play’s themes to contemporary public life.
The initiative includes:
Interactive audience engagement activity
Civic discussion prompts
CIS Civic Playbooks, i.e., educational materials for students and educators
Community dialogue around leadership, persuasion, and public responsibility
Too often, civic education is presented as dry, inaccessible, or disconnected from everyday life. Memorize this. Repeat that. Pass the test. But civics in the real world can be emotional and dramatic. Shakespeare understood that.
All this to say…this summer, we invite you to join us! Bring a friend. Bring your questions.
Come experience The Tragedy of Julius Caesar as a living conversation. Walk through the park alongside the actors and audience as the story unfolds around you. Experience theater as a way to feel connected to nature and one another. Because we need more of that.
Rome to Right Now Thursdays w/ Civics is Sexy
June 4, 11, 18 in Central Park
June 25 in Carl Schurz Park
July 2 in The Battery
Visit our websites to see the full schedule.
This article is co-published with civicsissexy.co.