Nat Turner in Jerusalem
by Nathan Alan Davis
directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
September 7-October 16, 2016, New York Theatre Workshop
"What can a quiet, poetic play achieve in such a loud and crowded arena? Quite a lot, as it turns out... the production, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, has nerves of steel." - Jesse Green, New York Magazine, Critic's Pick
"The sparse, persuasive two-hander, which marks Davis's New York debut, examines America's racial history, but feels disturbingly close to the present day... Though the larger drama has unfolded offstage, Davis and Sandberg-Zakian find a dynamic microcosm in the confrontations between Turner and the two white men... Brannon's Turner is tough to look away from: fervent, fearless, and unconcerned with eliciting pity or obtaining mercy. Sandberg-Zakian's minimalist staging places emphasis on the shifting tensions, and occasional glimmers of understanding. " - Miriam Felton-Dansky, The Village Voice
Set: Susan Zeeman Rogers
Sound: Nathan Leigh
Lights: Mary Louise Geiger
Costumes: Montana Bianco
Voice and Dialect: Dawn-Elin Fraser
Stage Manager: Shelley Miles
Nat Turner: Phillip James Brannon
Thomas R. Gray/Guard: Rowan Vickers
Photos: Joan Marcus (click for larger versions)
directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian
September 7-October 16, 2016, New York Theatre Workshop
"What can a quiet, poetic play achieve in such a loud and crowded arena? Quite a lot, as it turns out... the production, directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, has nerves of steel." - Jesse Green, New York Magazine, Critic's Pick
"The sparse, persuasive two-hander, which marks Davis's New York debut, examines America's racial history, but feels disturbingly close to the present day... Though the larger drama has unfolded offstage, Davis and Sandberg-Zakian find a dynamic microcosm in the confrontations between Turner and the two white men... Brannon's Turner is tough to look away from: fervent, fearless, and unconcerned with eliciting pity or obtaining mercy. Sandberg-Zakian's minimalist staging places emphasis on the shifting tensions, and occasional glimmers of understanding. " - Miriam Felton-Dansky, The Village Voice
Set: Susan Zeeman Rogers
Sound: Nathan Leigh
Lights: Mary Louise Geiger
Costumes: Montana Bianco
Voice and Dialect: Dawn-Elin Fraser
Stage Manager: Shelley Miles
Nat Turner: Phillip James Brannon
Thomas R. Gray/Guard: Rowan Vickers
Photos: Joan Marcus (click for larger versions)