An OctoroonPosted in Arts, Media Archive, Passing, Slavery, United States on 2016-06-09 02:08Z by Steven |
Woolly Mammoth Theater
641 D Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
2016-05-30 through 2016-06-26
By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Nataki Garrett
A plantation on the brink of foreclosure. A young gentleman falling for the part-black daughter of the estate’s owner. An evil swindler plotting to buy her for himself. Meanwhile, the slaves are trying to keep things drama-free, because everybody else is acting crazy.
An Octoroon, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Obie-winning riff on a 19th century melodrama that helped shape the debate around the abolition of slavery, is an incendiary adaptation that the New York Post called “entertainingly demented.” Part period satire, part meta-theatrical middle finger, it’s a provocative challenge to the racial pigeonholing of 1859—and of today.
As part of a special Connectivity initiative around An Octoroon, join DC area changemakers, thought leaders, activists and artists for a provocative series of engagement opportunities around every single performance of An Octoroon. We want to inspire conversation and reflection. We want to galvanize our audiences. That’s why we exist. That’s what we promise our community. Please visit our House Lights Up Events page for more information about these special events.