
A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
shadow/land
Full-Length Play, Drama / 3f
In late August 2005, Ruth coaxes her mother, Magalee, to sell Shadowland, the family business and New Orleans’ first air-conditioned hotel for Black guests. But as Hurricane Katrina begins her ruin, Ruth is forced to wrestle with all that she’s ready to let go.
Image: 2023 Public Theater Production (Joan Marcus)
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Cast Size
3f -
Duration
90 minutes -
Target Audience
Adult
Details
Summary
A
harrowing new drama set amid the ongoing devastation of Hurricane
Katrina. Ruth coaxes her mother, Magalee, to sell Shadowland, the family
business and New Orleans’s first air-conditioned dancehall and hotel
for Black guests. But as Hurricane Katrina begins her ruin, Ruth is
forced to wrestle with all that she’s ready to let go. Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s shadow/land is
the first installment of a 10-play cycle traversing the Katrina diaspora
in an examination of the ongoing effects of disaster, evacuation,
displacement and urban renewal rippling in and beyond New Orleans.
History
shadow/land premiered as an audio play at The Public Theater in New York City on 13 April 2021. On 20 April 2023, the play made its off-Broadway premiere in a full production at The Public. Directed by Candis C. Jones, the production featured Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Lizan Mitchell and Christine Shephard.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
- Time Period New Millennium/21st Century
- Setting Shadowland Hotel in New Orleans, LA. Late summer 2005.
- Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
- Additional Features No Intermission
- Duration 90 minutes
- Cautions
- Mild Adult Themes
Media
“A powerfully affecting drama.” – Wall Street Journal
“The interplay of the two realms is sometimes provocative, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes murky, but always pushes the play out of simple realism into something darker and stranger – even as the realistic story contains plenty of emotion all by itself.” – Exeunt
“Lyrical and lugubrious… shadow/land brings the mass destruction into focus by centering on two women.” – TimeOut NY
“Breathtaking… poetic, heartrending.” – TheaterMania
Videos
shadow/land Audio Play Trailer – The Public Theater
Photos
Image: 2023 Public Theater Production (Joan Marcus)
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.