Playwright Jeremy O. Harris attended the Tribeca Festival for the world premiere of his documentary Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play., where he deconstructs his controversial Broadway play titled Slave Play.
Slave Play follows three interracial couples who undergo “Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy” when the black partners no longer feel sexual attraction to their white partners.
RELEASE DATE
Following the Tribeca Festival premiere, Slave Play. Not a Movie. debuts Thursday, June 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
SYNOPSIS
“Slave Play” was one of Broadway’s most celebrated, genre-bending, and daring productions – breaking records and receiving critical acclaim for tackling race, sex, and interracial relationships in a way never before seen on stage. In this playful and provocative documentary, playwright Jeremy O. Harris takes viewers behind the scenes, from run-throughs to performance, as he strips down his own work and directs new actors through workshop rehearsals. As the acting students parse the text and bring meaning to the words on the page, Harris turns his critical eye to the thoughts, inspirations, and creative process that brought the play to life.
In his documentary directorial debut, Harris confronts the debate surrounding the play received head-on, reflecting both on its success, including 12 Tony Award(R) nominations, and the outrage it provoked. Probing the incendiary nature of the text, Harris and his actors search for the truth within each of the eight roles that play on and subvert racial stereotypes and power inequalities within interracial couples. Intercutting the rehearsal sessions with clips from the live stage performances, Harris reveals the polarizing impacts of the play with laughter and applause from some audiences and anger, discomfort, and derision from others. Challenging our own history and modern paradigms, Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play. invites us to live in uncomfortable spaces and reimagine the possibilities of theater itself.
OFFICIAL TRAILER
Watch the official trailer for Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play.