Blood at the Root, By Dominique Morisseau

Blood at the Root, By Dominique Morisseau 

Directed By Reenah Golden

Sat August 26, 2023 @ 7:30 PM

See all SANKOFA festival details and purchase tickets HERE

$20 online advance $25 at the door

$45 for all three Sankofa plays

Part of the The 14th Annual Sankofa Theatre Festival features local African American artists in a one week theatrical festival.

A striking new ensemble drama based on the true story of Jena Six (2007); six Black students who were initially charged with attempted murder for a school fight after being provoked with nooses hanging from a tree on campus.

This bold new play by Dominique Morisseau (Sunset Baby, Detroit '67, Skeleton Crew) examines the miscarriage of justice, racial double standards, class, gender, and homophobia, as well as the crises in human and racial relations that contribute to the fragile state of education and Black family life. When a Black student disrupts the status quo at her high school by occupying space typically reserved for white students, her community erupts in hate speech, violence, chaos, and activism. Morisseau’s play scrutinizes the intrinsic links between justice, bias, and identity.Moving, lyrical, and bold, Blood at the Root probes the complexities of race, individual freedoms, and what justice means when biases have been normalized.

See all SANKOFA festival details and purchase tickets HERE

The Sankofa Theatre Festival is an annual theatrical festival primarily of local: playwrights, actors, and directors that come together for one week of theatrical fun. Rochester has long had theatrical productions but has not always had theater festivals, especially that showcase African American playwrights. The Sankofa Theatre Festival is one such festival.Originally organized to provide opportunities for African American playwrights to mount their works, the festival has been in various venues, but has remained faithful to its initial calling.Initially, the festival was one of one-act plays; it has grown to three main stage plays for five performances. Though the format and content, to a degree, have expanded(other ethnicities are occasionally produced alongside African American plays) audiences can find comfort in viewing theatrical performances agreeing with the culture represented.

This years featured plays include:  The Return of Double Ax Max: a radio play By Karen D. Culley Directed By Reuben J. Tapp  Mr. Soul! By Laura A. Thomas Directed By Reuben J. Tapp  Blood at the Root By Dominique Morisseau Directed By Reenah GoldenMMB is a project-oriented theatrical organization dedicated to developing original dramatic works by local playwrights, focusing on enhancing writing, directing, and acting skills. 

Annually, MMB Theatre 1 Project invites local playwrights to submit full-length and one-act plays for staging considerations. Once all entries and scripts are submitted, they are reviewed, and plays are selected.

See all SANKOFA festival details and purchase tickets HERE