New Play. The Great Privation
The Great Privation is about Grave Robbing. A stunning, profound play exploring the historical disruption of black bodies at rest, and the deep impact still felt today. @theatre503 from 14 May — 01 June Tickets: https://theatre503.com/whats-on/the-great-privation/
The Great Privation delves into the unsettling practice of grave robbing, particularly during the early 1800s and the cholera outbreak in Pennsylvania. Black bodies were not spared from this desecration, being stolen for medical research and commodified even in death, never finding peace.
In early 1800s Pennsylvania, a mother and daughter stand watch over a grave. Today, on the same grounds transformed into a summer camp, another mother and daughter navigate a similar landscape. Two male figures weave in and out of their lives, threatening to expose dark truths or help forge them. As timelines merge and secrets surface, a reckoning approaches: our ancestral ties aren’t as distant as we believe.
The Great Privation (How to flip ten cents into a dollar), a finalist for the 2023 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, is a poignant exploration of the historical exploitation of black bodies and its enduring repercussions. Nia Akilah Robinson’s debut play, directed by Theatre503 Carne Associate Director Kalungi Ssebandeke, skillfully intertwines humor and despair, urging audiences to reflect on their own pasts.
