In 1849, the Bowery Boys, armed with brickbats, rioted against the aristocrats of Astor Place over a grudge between their favorite Shakespearean actors, leading to the militia firing on the crowd. The smoke finally settled after thirty-six hours of destruction, injury, and death. The apparent cause of the riot was the passion the people had for their actor’s presentation of Macbeth; however, underlying this long-simmering rivalry lurks a class and political struggle that America still grapples with. Join theater historian Kevin Peshick as we examine what led to the Shakespeare Riots, and the consequences that still reverberate today.