Southern Promises

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Southern Promises

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 6m

When the master of the plantation dies, he wills his slaves to be freed, but his wife doesn’t think that good property should be squandered. 

Image: 2019 Flea Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 6m

Details

Summary
When the master of the plantation dies, he wills his slaves to be freed, but his wife doesn’t think that good property should be squandered. Pandemonium ensues. Inspired by the true story of Henry Box Brown, who escaped to the North by mailing himself in a box, Southern Promises provides a unique portrait of the Old South.

Thomas Bradshaw was named “Playwright of the Year” by the theatre blog “KUL-That Sounds Cool,” and Southern Promises was named among the best performances of Stage and Screen for 2008 in The New Yorker.
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REVIEWS

"Slowly, almost single-handedly, a twenty-eight-year-old black playwright named Thomas Bradshaw has been taking on the idea of race in the theatre. At the same time, he has sliced open the pretensions of the white avant-garde with a wittily glistening axe. In his new play, Southern Promises, one can catch a glimpse of Bradshaw's anarchic gifts." - The New Yorker

"It's a striking, challenging piece that studies the abuse of power and the liquidity of morality." - NYTheatre.com

"Likely to leave you speechless." - The New York Times

"Thomas Bradshaw's deeply twisted, coolly brutal period drama Southern Promises." - Village Voice

Photos

  • Southern Promises

    Image: 2019 Flea Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $120 per performance

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Authors

Thomas Bradshaw

Thomas Bradshaw’s plays have been produced at regional theaters, in NYC as as well as in Europe. In 2012, the Flea Theater successfully produced his play Job and in 2011, his play Burning ran to rave reviews at the New Group/NYC and the Goodman Theater produced his play Mary, ...

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