Dominique Morisseau’s most radical play yet follows two Black women—an enslaved woman in the Civil War-era South and a tenured professor at a contemporary university—as they struggle to free themselves from parallel systems of oppression.
Confederates tells the story of two women in what at first appear to be radically different circumstances. Sara is an enslaved rebel ferrying information from her master’s house to nearby Union soldiers. Sandra is a political science professor enduring misogynoir at a predominantly white university. As the play progresses, the line between the past and the present blurs, leading the audience to question how far we have come since 1865—and how far we still have to go.
In Morisseau’s words, “I don’t believe in the inhumanity of the enslaved.” This play delves into serious themes with a satirical tone, never allowing the audience to forget the full complexity of enslaved people—their humor, their sexuality, and their intelligence—alongside their pain. In its thematic ambition and its finesse with sharply-contrasting tones, Confederates is a major work by one of America’s most exciting playwrights.
