Princeton and Slavery: Plays That Probe Our Original Sin
On a summer morning in 2017 in Princeton’s New South studio space, Emily Mann joined four other playwrights, nine actors, several Princeton scholars, the University archivist, a team from McCarter, and director Carl Cofield for a first reading of seven plays commissioned by McCarter. The day was an essential step in the process of honing the artists’ voices into a cohesive, provocative program—the Princeton & Slavery Plays—that will be presented as part of the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium Nov. 17 and 18. Cofield began the day by noting he was excited to work with the playwrights, who each added “their flavor to the rich gumbo” that would help launch “a conversation that’s long overdue."