Seeds of Time Festival.  In collaboration with Play On Shakespeare, this groundbreaking three-week festival presents six teams of artists exploring and reenvisioning world classics with interactive public events, inviting audiences to witness the evolution of classic narratives and engage in conversations about their relevance today. Special attention will be given to teaching the insights and skills of dramaturgy.

RAP MONOLOGUES
Shakespeare meets hip-hop in a lyrical showdown in a solo performance by Dr. Austin Dean Ashford.  

What if Shakespeare met hip-hop in a storage unit break room? Rap Monologues is a razor-sharp solo performance where classical verse and rap lyrics go toe-to-toe in a rhythm-fueled showdown. At the center is a Safe Guys storage unit trainer who moonlights as a lyrical alchemist, transforming Shakespeare’s most iconic monologues into beat-driven declarations of identity, power, and legacy. With humor, swagger, and an undeniable love of language, this one-person powerhouse cracks open the shared DNA of iambic pentameter and 16-bar verses, inviting audiences to hear the classics—and hip-hop—in a whole new way. Whether you're a Shakespeare lover, a rap fan, or just down for some fierce, verse-based storytelling, Rap Monologues is a theatrical remix you won’t want to miss.  

About the Artist:  

Dr. Austin Dean Ashford is a multidisciplinary theatre maker, playwright, and performer whose work blends classical forms with hip hop, Afrofuturism, and poetic storytelling. A two-time MFA graduate and recent Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Arts, Austin’s award-winning solo and ensemble work has toured nationally and internationally, earning recognition from the Kennedy Center, Amazon Prime, and the U.S. State Department as a Hip Hop Cultural Ambassador. His plays challenge tradition while celebrating legacy—centering Black voices, memory, and imagination. Currently serving as Director of Interdisciplinary Arts at Flanner House and is an Artist in Residence at Z Space in San Francisco. Austin’s passion for Shakespeare is reframed through rhythm, resistance, and radical joy—making verse resonate with new generations. With a foundation in performance, debate, and education, he empowers communities through story and song, always in pursuit of what art can free.