A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Slave

Short Play, Drama  /  1w, 2m

LeRoi Jones

An examination of racial tension in contemporary America, The Slave is the story of Walker Vessles, a Black man who visits the home of his ex-wife, a white woman now married to a white professor.

The Slave

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    75 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Another off-Broadway shocker from LeRoi Jones, aka Amiri Baraka, The Slave takes place in a time of great conflagration, when Blacks have risen up to bomb and burn the civilization of White America. Into a professor's house comes Walker Vessles, an African American man with a pistol. Walker is the ex-husband of Grace, the professor's wife, and the father of the two biracial daughters now living in this white household. Though he intends to kill Grace and her husband, reclaiming his daughters, Walker fails as the entire family is killed when their house collapses.

Published in tandem with Dutchman.

History
The Slave premiered off-Broadway at St. Mark's Playhouse on December 16, 1964. Presented as half of a double bill with Jones’ The Toilet, the play featured Al Freeman, Jr., Nan Martin and Jerome Raphel.
Keywords
Performing Groups
WALKER VESSELS – A Black American poet.
GRACE – His white ex-wife.
EASLEY – Grace's current husband. A white professor.
  • Time Period Contemporary, 1960s
  • Setting Grace and Easley's home.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No intermission
  • Duration 75 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language

Media

“A playwright to watch.” – Kirkus Review

“What resonates here... is the sense that entrenchment and political corruption are timeless.” – Philly Stage

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Black Voices in the Theatre Before and After A Raisin in the Sun
by Michael Valladares
February 3, 2022

Scene Study and Classroom Reading: Plays for Colleges and Universities
by Becca Schlossberg
August 23, 2019

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $65 per performance

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

LeRoi Jones

LeRoi Jones

LeRoi Jones, aka Amiri Baraka (1934-2014), was a poet, writer, political activist and teacher. He was born in 1934, in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Howard University in 1953 and published his first major book of poetry, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note, in 196 ...

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