A documentary about the Tony Award-nominated drama “Slave Play” will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10. The feature-length film, titled “Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play,” explores the creative process of the drama’s Tony-nominated playwright, Jeremy O. Harris, as he workshops a production of the 12-time Tony-nominated play. Harris serves as director of the HBO documentary film, which will be available for streaming on June 20 on Max.
“Slave Play” follows three interracial couples as they undergo “Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy.” The play examines the intersection of generational racism and sexuality. “Slave Play” originally opened on Broadway on Oct. 6, 2019 at the John Golden Theatre, playing an extended run through Jan. 19, 2020. The production was nominated for twelve 2020 Tony Awards, including a nod for Best Play. A return engagement opened on Dec. 2, 2021 and ran through Jan. 23, 2022 at the August Wilson Theatre.
The documentary features a cast of actors from the William Esper Studio: Marie Botha, Peter Bowden, Malcolm Callender, Lydia Case, Stephen Ceflu, Athan Chekas, Rebecca Codas, Dustin Damonte, Sidney Diaz, Patricia Fa'ausa, Amauta Firmino, Israel Erron Ford, Aaron Latta-Morissette, Latonya Grant, Denzel Gray, Phillipa Grenda, J.P. Maddock, Jahquale Mazyck, Hubert Mitchell, Jennifer Monaco, William L. Nixon, Vi Nguyen, Jonah O’Hara-David, Amani Owusu, Kerstin Coco Quortrup, Hudson James Oznowicz, Natasha Walfall, ShaQuanna Williams, Sung Hyun Yoon and Anik Zarkos.
Additionally, the film features cast members from the 2019 production: Irene Sophia Lucio, Jakeem Powell and Annie McNamara, the latter of whom received a Tony nomination for her featured turn. Finally, Jonathan Higgenbotham, Devin Kawaoka and Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, all of whom appeared in “Slave Play”’s return engagement, are featured in the documentary.
The documentary is being produced by Chris Moukarbel and Natalia-Leigh Brown.
