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The Sutherland

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 6m

Winner! 1997 Illinois Arts Council Governors' Award for Playwriting

A promising young musician, Eugene Taylor, comes of age in the midst of Chicago's south side jazz scene in the 1950s with musical royalty Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane as his role models. Having embarked on a six month European tour a…

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 6m
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1997 Illinois Arts Council Governors' Award for Playwriting

Details

Summary
A promising young musician, Eugene Taylor, comes of age in the midst of Chicago's south side jazz scene in the 1950s with musical royalty Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and John Coltrane as his role models. Having embarked on a six month European tour at the age of 18 and been seduced by the European's appreciation of jazz and the love of a Viennese woman, he returns 15 years later. While abroad he heard about the race riots of the sixties and now he witnesses the devastation they caused, the black flight to the suburbs and the decline of the inner city neighborhood which was his home. He ponders his absence during those turbulent times as well as his current existence while sitting amongst the ghosts of the Sutherland Show Lounge, once a Mecca of jazz.
History
Originally produced by Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $120 per performance

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Authors

Charles Smith

Charles Smith’s plays include, Freefall, The Sutherland, Black Star Line, Jelly Belly, Young Richard, Cane, and Free Man of Color, which was also produced in Australia, New York, Los Angeles, and around the United States. Free Man of Color was also awarded the Joseph Jeffe ...
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