description Slave Play Overview
Slave Play is a 2019 Broadway production written by Jeremy O. Harris that examines the intersections of race, trauma, and sexual desire. The narrative is set on a Virginia plantation where three interracial couples participate in an unconventional form of psychosexual therapy called Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy to address their intimacy issues. The provocative work received a record-breaking 12 Tony Award nominations in 2020, making it the most nominated non-musical play in the awards' history.
It is designed to challenge audiences and spark difficult conversations about the legacy of slavery in America.
help Slave Play FAQ
What is the therapy in Slave Play?
The three interracial couples participate in a fictional treatment called Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy. The exercises use role-play on a Virginia plantation to expose how race, power, history, and sexual desire affect their relationships.
Who wrote Slave Play?
Slave Play was written by Jeremy O. Harris and directed in its Broadway production by Robert O'Hara. It premiered at New York Theatre Workshop in 2018 before opening on Broadway in 2019.
Is Slave Play set entirely in the past?
No. The play moves between antebellum role-play scenes at the fictional MacGregor Plantation and a contemporary group-therapy setting. That contrast connects the history of slavery to present-day interracial relationships.
Why was Slave Play controversial on Broadway?
The play deliberately stages interracial sexual role-play and confronts the continuing effects of slavery on intimacy and identity. Its 2019 Broadway run received a record-setting 12 Tony nominations for a play, making it a major subject of debate as well as acclaim.
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