The Young Shakespeareans

A dynamic fusion of Shakespeare and rap, Poetic Justice empowers young people to discover the power of their own voices. By exploring Shakespeare’s timeless themes of love, ambition, betrayal, and resilience alongside the lyrical artistry of hip-hop, students learn that the tools of expression — rhythm, rhyme, and storytelling — are both ancient and alive. In Poetic Justice, Shakespeare’s iambic pentameter meets rap’s driving beats, revealing surprising connections between the Bard and modern poets and songwriters as the students create and perform their own verses that speak to their lives and communities. This Program builds literacy, confidence, and cultural pride while proving that, whether in 1600 or 2025, language has the power to move, inspire, and transform.