Shakespeare in harlem

Choreographed by Nigel Semaj

  • Director & Writer: Gerrad Alex Taylor

    Choreographer – Nigel Semaj
    Lighting Designer – Juan Juarez
    Costume Designer – Eric Abele
    Assistant Costume Designer – Becca Janney
    Assistant Director – Isaiah Mason Harvey
    Sound Designer – Kaydin Hamby
    Scenic Designer/Projections – Nate Sinnott
    Vocal Director – Andrew Hann
    Dramaturg – Bianca LaVerne
    Stage Manager / Intimacy Choreographer – Grace Shepperd

  • The year 2025 marks the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance, perhaps the largest cultural and artistic American movement of the 20th century. In celebration, the Department of Theatre will amplify the work of Black and African American theatre-makers and our engagement with the Baltimore theatre community by mounting an adaptation of “Shakespeare in Harlem” by Langston Hughes.

    A rare gem from Langston Hughes, this collection of monologue poems revives the rhythms of jazz, the blues, and the pulse of the Harlem Renaissance—its love, struggles, and street-corner spirit. In director Gerrad Alex Taylor’s adaptation, Hughes’ words come alive in a dynamic full-length play, blending poetry, music, and dance for an immersive journey into the world he so vividly celebrated.