Overview

A boldly theatrical time travel epic from one of the premier chroniclers of Black gay life in the American theatre. In Robert O'Hara's stunning debut play, gay Black grad student Ron is transported back in time with his 189-year-old great-great-grandfather to the time of Nat Turner's slave rebellion. Applying a thrilling theatrical lens to some of the darkest chapters of American history,Insurrection: Holding Historyis an investigation of the scars of racism and homophobia, as well as a passionate tribute to the power of resistance. This play won O'Hara the1998 Oppenheimer Award for Best New Playwright. Insurrection: Holding Historyreceived its world premiere at The Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival in 1996. It is the third title in the TCG Books Illuminations series, edited by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

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9781636701721

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Reviews

A fanciful study in black history that announces O'Hara as a promising new voice. --Variety Insurrection was one of the first plays to address police violence against African-Americans, to explore who has the right to tell whose story, to look critically at African-American attitudes toward homosexuality, and to explore how different generations adhere to different rules. --Chicago Tribune Insurrection: Holding History conspicuously breaks theatrical conventions, mixing comedy, drama, history, time travel and the supernatural in ways no one but playwright Robert O'Hara could conceive. --Windy City Times The playwright's take on slavery is original and defiantly funny, as he looks at the ways contemporary Americans interpret--or misinterpret--the historical baggage of the 'peculiar institution.' --Chicago Reader

Author Information

Robert O'Hara was recently nominated for a Tony for his direction of Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris, the most Tony-nominated play in the history of Broadway. He also directed its world premiere at New York Theater Workshop. Other directing credits include the world premiere musical Bellaby Kirsten Childs at Playwrights Horizons, Macbeth at Denver Center for Performing Arts, world premieres of Nikkole Salter and Danai Guiria's In The Continuum, Tarell McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo's Wild with Happy as well as his own plays, Mankind, Bootycandy, and Insurrection: Holding History. He received his Directing M.F.A. from Columbia University.

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