*In our exclusive interview with playwright Jeremy O. Harris, he takes us inside his new HBO Original Documentary, “Slave Play. Not A Movie. A Play.”
The project unpacks Harris’s creative journey for his Broadway hit, “Slave Play,” which is known for its bold exploration of race, sex, and interracial relationships. “Slave Play” made waves on Broadway with its provocative themes and critical acclaim, earning 12 Tony Award nominations.
In “Slave Play. Not A Movie. A Play,” Harris takes viewers behind the scenes, from intimate workshop rehearsals to live performances, offering a candid look at his creative process and the profound impact of his work. Through insightful reflections and candid discussions with his cast, Harris confronts both the accolades and controversies surrounding the play, challenging audiences to reexamine societal norms and the boundaries of contemporary theater.
Per the press release: Hailed as “the single most daring thing I’ve seen in a theater in a long time” by Wesley Morris of The New York Times and “a fascinating explosive-device of a play” by Peter Marks of The Washington Post, “Slave Play” takes place at the MacGregor Plantation, where nothing is as it seems, and yet everything is as it seems. It’s an antebellum fever-dream as three interracial couples converge to rip open history at the intersection of race, love, sex and sexuality in 21st century America.”
Watch the trailer below for “Slave Play. Not A Movie. A Play.”
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The cast of “Slave Play” features Broadway company members Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Jonathan Higginbotham, Devin Kawaoka, Chalia La Tour, Irene Sofia Lucio, Paul Alexander Nolan, Jakeem Dante Powell and Elizabeth Stahlmann. Understudies include Jordan Lis Cooper, Rashaad Hall, Kineta Kunutu, James Patrick Nelson and Galen J. Williams.
“The thing that I hear more often than anything else is that like, I haven’t stopped thinking about this play since I saw it,” Harris told Entertainment Weekly in a 2019 interview.
“A crazy thing happened where a woman told me she’s in an interracial marriage and she and her partner saw the play and immediately got into marriage therapy,” he added.
“She was like, you articulated something in your play that had gone unarticulated, and I’ve been in a relationship for a decade. And I’m seeing young kids of color being like, thank you for finally giving me the language to say the things that I’ve been trying to say for years. I think that’s the most amazing thing,” Harris continued. “That and the fact that so many people go out with their parents afterwards and say they have the longest conversation they’ve had or days-long conversations about the play. The fact is that ideas in the play don’t stop when they leave the threshold of the Golden Theatre is the thing I consistently hear about it.”
In my insightful conversation with Harris, he revealed what he hopes viewers, especially young people, take away from “Slave Play. Not A Movie. A Play.”
“This movie is propaganda, to make kids want to do theater,” Harris told us.”
We also discussed his pioneering creation of Black Out Night during the Broadway run of “Slave Play” in 2019. Per the news release, this initiative was designed to offer Black-identifying audience members a space free from the constraints of the white gaze, allowing them to engage deeply with the raw and provocative themes of his play. Harris shared his thoughts on the reception and criticism surrounding Black Out Night, reflecting on its significance in fostering a more inclusive and authentic theater experience.
Check out what he had to say in the exclusive video below.
“Slave Play. Not A Movie. A Play” premieres June 20 on HBO.
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