The world premiere of Jeremy O. Harris' Slave Play, directed by Robert O'Hara, celebrated its official opening at New York Theatre Workshop December 9. The new work, described as an "antebellum fever-dream," sheds light on the intersection of race, history, gender, and sexuality in 21st-century America.
Read: MEET PLAYWRIGHT JEREMY O. HARRIS
Slave Play began performances November 19 and was recently extended an additional two weeks through January 13, 2019.
The cast is made up of Ato Blankson-Wood as Gary, James Cusati-Moyer as Dustin, Sullivan Jones as Phillip, Chalia La Tour as Teá, Irene Sofia Lucio as Patricia, Annie McNamara as Alana, Paul Alexander Nolan as Jim, and Teyonah Parris as Kaneisha.
Read reviews for the NYTW production below:
The Hollywood Reporter (Frank Sheck)
New York Magazine / Vulture (Sara Holdren)
New York Stage Review (Michael Sommers)
The New York Times (Jesse Green)
In Slave Play, the old South lives on at the MacGregor Plantation—in the breeze, in the cotton fields...and in the crack of the whip. Fear and desire entwine in the looming shadow of the Master’s House. Jim trembles as Kaneisha handles melons in the cottage, Alana perspires in time with the plucking of Phillip’s fiddle in the boudoir, while Dustin cowers at the heel of Gary’s big, black boot in the barn.
The production features scenic design by Clint Ramos, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jiyoun Chang, sound design by Lindsay Jones, properties by Noah Mease, and movement by Byron Easley. Claire Warden (Intimacy Directors International) serves as the intimacy and fight director; Amauta Marston-Firmino serves as dramaturg; Dawn-Elin Fraser is the dialect coach; and Jhanaë K-C Bonnick is stage manager.
Slave Play was developed and produced at The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference earlier this summer. The play is the recipient of the Rosa Parks Playwriting Award, the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award, and The Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences.
For more information on Slave Play visit NYTW.org.
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