12.15.09
Julius Caesar, aka the "Big C", shared the same fate as the original Julius Caesar, his means of death was just a little different.
That's the synopsis of a 21st Century version of the 1601 William Shakespeare classic, which was staged Monday the Capital Repertory Theater by freshmen from Tech Valley High School.
With numerous parents and friends looking on, the students completed a several-week project of rewriting the classic play by acting out their work. Their version, while sharing the same ending - a dead Caesar- and bits and pieces of the language used by Caesar, put the tale of a leader brought to ruin in a modern setting, the streets of New York City, where he serves the leaders of several street gangs.
The students also liberally added language - liked "capped" - into the mix of Olde English.
"It was fun," said one of the freshman.
The project, said teacher Jen Hower, was designed not just to ensure that the 9th grade students read the play, but that they also truly understand, Hower said.
By putting the play into the own words, they must understand what Shakespeare wrote, Hower said.
