| Slave Play | |
|---|---|
 Broadway promotional poster | |
| Written by | Jeremy O. Harris |
| Characters |
|
| Date premiered | November 19, 2018 |
| Place premiered | New York Theatre Workshop |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Racism, sexuality, power relations, trauma, interracial relationships |
| Official site | |
Slave Play is a three-act play by Jeremy O. Harris[1] about race, sex, power relations, trauma, and interracial relationships.[2][3] It follows three interracial couples undergoing "Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy" because the black partners have begun struggling to feel arousal or pleasure when engaging sexually with their white partners. The title refers both to the history of slavery in the United States and to sexual slavery role-play.
Harris originally wrote the play in his first year at the Yale School of Drama,[4][5] and it debuted on a major stage on November 19, 2018, in an Off-Broadway New York Theatre Workshop staging directed by Robert O'Hara. It opened on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on October 6, 2019. In 2019, Slave Play was nominated for Best Play in the Lucille Lortel Awards,[6] and Claire Warden won an Outstanding Fight Choreography Drama Desk Award for her work in the play.[7] The play has been the center of controversy due to its themes and content.[8] At the 74th Tony Awards, Slave Play received 12 nominations, breaking the record set by the 2018 revival of Angels in America for most nominations for a non-musical play, though it did not receive any awards. The record was broken in 2024 when Stereophonic received 13 nominations.[9]
- ^ Megarry, Daniel. "Jeremy O. Harris". Gay Times (09506101), Mar. 2019, pp. 32–35.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
geierwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lapacazo Sandoval, Contributing Writer. "'Slave Play' by Jeremy O. Harris a Real Look at Racism in America —Opening on Broadway, Oc-Tober 6." Los Angeles Sentinel (CA), October 9, 2019.
- ^ Daniels, Karu F. (January 7, 2019). "Rising Playwright Jeremy O. Harris Addresses Backlash Over Controversial Slave Play". The Root. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ Cuby, Michael (March 8, 2019). "For Jeremy O. Harris, Playwriting Is Just the Beginning". them. Condé Nast. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (April 3, 2019). "Nominations for 34th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards Announced; Carmen Jones and Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of the Future Lead the Pack". Playbill. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ Fierberg, Ruthie (July 2, 2019). "Tootsie, Hadestown, and The Ferryman Lead 2019 Drama Desk Award Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- ^ PINKINS, TONYA. “Racism Doesn’t Have a Safe Word.” American Theatre, vol. 36, no. 6, July 2019, pp. 40–41.
- ^ "'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Stereophonic' lead Tony Awards with 13 nominations each". NPR. Retrieved April 30, 2024.