*The Fountain Theatre presents an academic exposition of a culture clash where education is both a blessing and burden.
The play Confederates is a political satire not set in the White House but during slavery time in the big house and during the present time in the halls of academia.
The storyline juxtaposes education, bravery and power. Dominique Morisseau’s text is a cultural metaphor where the audience experiences two women who bear the weight and the responsibility of their education and wrestle with the burden of what to do with it.
Who can they trust?
What do they owe and to whom?
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Director Raymond O. Caldwell navigates a brilliant cast in interchangeable roles that take the audience from 1876 to 2026.
Tony Award-nominated playwright and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Dominique Morisseau draws the delicate balance between a fearless slave woman whose bravery and book learning outsmarts her peers and a modern university professor who must face office politics and her own micro-biases.
Sara Scott Davis evokes the riveting and complex layers of university professor Sandra. Ms. Davis portrays Sandra as an ice princess with a soft center, who makes no apology for the ladder that she has had to climb.
Nedra Ryan Taylor is Sara, a slave who has learned to read but must hide it when her education could be life threatening. She questions whether to use her literacy as a benefit to help slaves escape or if she should become a Civil war covert operative opposing the confederacy for the union?
The ‘Confederates’ character “Sara” reeks of memories of the real Mary Bowser, a slave who was taught to read by her owner Elizabeth Van Lew.
Bowser is said to have worked undercover in the Jefferson Davis White House of the confederacy in Richmond, Virgina.
Because she was a slave it was not suspected that she was capable of comprehending top secret information, let alone leaking it to the union army thereby assisting in the union winning the civil war.
Speculation swirls about the total accuracy of all that Mary Bowser did in her lifetime, but she is consistently framed as someone who could read, had tutelage from her owner and collaborated to tilt the scales of the U. S. government.
Once again, art imitates life in the play Confederates. The cast is anchored by strong performances from Mara Klein as Missy Sue and Candice, Courtney Scott Wright as Luanne and Jade, and Daks MclettieII as Abner & Malik.
Performances of Confederates continue through December 13th 2026 at the Fountain Theatre, located at 5060 Fountain Avenue in Hollywood, CA 90029. Raymond O. Caldwell serves as Artistic Director with Johannah Maynard Edwards as Interim Managing Director. The Fountain Theatre is supported by a full staff, a board of directors, members at large and community supporters.
Audiences are also welcome to participate in Community Conversations, a unique opportunity to explore themes from the play after Friday evening performances. Friday, Nov. 13, is “Black Out Affinity Night,” an opportunity for an audience self-identifying as Black to experience the performance together. A day-long Black Wellness Summit featuring Black wellness leaders and organizations will take place on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Patrons are invited to enjoy pre and post-show refreshments at the Fountain Theatre Café, which features wines from Brown Estate, a Black-owned Napa Valley winery, throughout the run. For reservations and information about the play Confederates, call (323) 663–1525 or go to FountainTheatre.com.
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