Synopses & Reviews
"A wildly imaginative new work. . . . An Octoroon might induce vertigo, but it insists that making theater can be the best way to talk back to history."Village Voice
"Mr. Jacobs-Jenkins, an attentive student of theater history, knows that in plays, a carefully chosen catalyst can make people reveal themselves with exaggerated clarity, so that characters become their own caricatures."New York Times
In 1859, Irish writer Dion Bouciault penned The Octoroon, a melodrama about America and slavery. One hundred and fifty five years later, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins tries to write his own version. In this bombastic, theatrical investigation of theater, race, and identity politics, an old play gives way to a startlingly contemporary piece that's firmly about ushere and now.
The themes of racial politics in history and the pervasive part they play in modern society permeate much of this young, astute playwright's astounding work. This collection also includes the acclaimed plays Neighbors and Appropriate. Together, these works challenge what makes contemporary society comfortable and reject the notion that it should be.
Three astonishing breakout plays from one of theater's most exciting and provocative young writers.
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's plays include An Octoroon, Neighbors, Appropriate, Gloria, and War. He is a playwright-in-residence at Signature Theatre. Recent honors include a 2014 Obie Award for Best New American Play (An Octoroon and Appropriate).
Synopsis
Three astonishing breakout plays from one of the theatre's most exciting and provocative young writers.
Synopsis
"The deftly crafted blend of shocking exaggeration and believability, politeness and fury...makes Appropriate land with th ekind of thump you rarely encounter in the theater."—Chicago Tribune
"So energetic, funny, and entertainingly demented, you can't look away."—New York on An Octoroon
"Messy, bold, desperately funny, and deeply felt: Neighbors is worth getting to know."—Los Angeles Times
With deft attention to familial dynamics and a tense undercurrent of socio-political realities, Appropriate harkens the likes of Tracy Letts or Sam Shepard, but with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's unique flair for melodrama and touch of the absurd.
Themes of history and racial politics permeate much of this young playwright's astounding work. This collection also includes the acclaimed play An Octoroon, a bombastic theatrical investigation of theater and identity, wherin an old play gives way to a startlingly contemporary piece. The third play, Neighbors, uses old minstrelsy tropes to challenge what makes contemporary society comfortable, and asserts pointedly that it shouldn't be.Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's plays include An Octoroon, Neighbors, Appropriate, Gloria, and War. He is a playwright-in-residence at Signature Theatre. Recent honors include a 2014 Obie Award for Best New American Play (An Octoroon and Appropriate).
About the Author
Branden Jacobs-Jenkinss plays include An Octoroon, Neighbors, Appropriate, Gloria and War. His work has been seen or will be seen at The Vineyard Theater, The Public Theater, Signature Theatre, Soho Rep, The HighTide Festival (UK), Yale Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Victory Gardens in Chicago, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. He is a Lila Acheson Wallace fellow at the Juilliard School and a playwright-in-residence at Signature Theatre. Recent honors include a 2014 Obie Award for Best New American Play (An Octoroon and Appropriate), as well as the Tennessee Williams Award, the Paula Vogel Award, and the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights.