Plays With Younger Roles Our regular column on plays that have recently become available for licensing focuses in this issue on works with prominent roles for younger actors.
by Zackary Ross
A
s a director in a university theatre program, I frequently cast teenagers or early 20-somethings in far more adult roles. However, I’m always looking for plays that
place younger characters at the center of the action to give my students an opportunity to explore roles closer to their own age and experience. What follows is a collection of plays that feature prominent roles for younger actors. To develop the list of suggested titles, we surveyed major play publishers’ offerings during the last few years. After each description, you’ll find information about the cast breakdown and a referral to the publisher who holds the rights.
Bondage, by Star Finch
Cast breakdown: 2 women (1 Black/
Teenage Zuri must navigate life on a small
Af rica n descent, 1 wh ite/Europea n
island in the Caribbean prior to the Civil
descent); 3 men (2 Black/African descent,
War as a mixed-race slave. Her multiple
1 white/European descent)
identities create conflict for her. Neither
Publisher: Concord Theatricals
white nor Black and not quite an adult but
www.concordtheatricals.com
also no longer a child, Zuri finds herself in dangerous circumstances in this emotion-
Our Dear Dead Drug Lord,
ally charged piece of AfroSurrealism.
by Alexis Scheer
Cast breakdown: 4 women (2 Black/
In the treehouse where they share their
Af rica n descent, 2 wh ite/Europea n
teenage hopes and dreams, a group of
descent); 1 man (white/European descent)
girls gathers to summon the spirit of cartel
Publisher: Broadway Play Publishing, Inc.
kingpin Pablo Escobar. In this play full of
www.broadwayplaypub.com
dark and twisty surprises, the girls bond and battle with each other as they navigate
Br’er Cotton,
the highs and lows of girlhood.
by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm
Cast breakdown: 5 women (2 Latinx
Fourteen-year-old Ruffrino Witherspoon is
descent, 2 white/European descent, 1
angry. His father is serving a life sentence
Black/African descent,); 1 man (Latinx
in prison, his mother is a poorly paid maid
descent)
to white families, and his grandfather
Publisher: Concord Theatricals
doesn’t respect his militant attitude and the
www.concordtheatricals.com n
rage he feels toward the police and white culture. As his anger boils over, Ruffrino becomes the cause of riots at his school. The play is a compelling account of what it means to grow up Black in the U.S. in the age of the Black Lives Matter movement. 4 x Southern Theatre x Spring-Summer 2022
Zackary Ross (he/him) is an associate professor of theatre and the arts administration program director at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. He is a member of the Southern Theatre Editorial Board.
