By Charles Smith.
Product Code: RF3000
Full-length Play
Drama
Cast size: 2 m.
This title can be licensed and sold in the following countries:
Canada, United States
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
It’s 1866, one year after the end of the Civil War. Madison Hemings, son of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, and Israel Jefferson, formerly enslaved footman, return to their birthplace of Monticello in hopes of reuniting with Israel’s brother. Finding the formerly majestic estate near ruin, Madison attempts to claim what’s rightfully his by stripping the architectural features of the house he helped build. Both men are confronted with their conflicting feelings about the man who wrote “all men are created equal.” Israel advises Madison to consider the memories of the other families, hundreds of people, who were enslaved at Monticello, rather than loading down the wagon they need to carry them back to Ohio. When their wagon collapses under the weight of the salvaged load, they are forced to carefully consider the main question of the play—what do we need to keep with us as we move through this world, and what should we leave behind?
“Madison’s story is powerful.” —Around The Town Chicago
“Smith’s dialogue is an intricate dance between the personal and the political, both tangled around the ideals of a nation founded on ‘self evident’ truths that sound noble in theory but didn’t apply to millions of people.” —Chicago Sun Times
“The Reclamation of Madison Hemings is another excellent example of [Smith’s] superb storytelling abilities.” —Let’s Play Theatrical Reviews
“A compelling historical story that America needs to hear.” —Let’s Play Theatrical Reviews
“Charles Smith does a masterful job sharing this unknown American story of a black child who never felt wanted by his famous white father—a hidden story from our society, which needs to convey to cure the ills of humanity.” —Let’s Play Theatrical Reviews
“A gripping retelling of personal and collective family histories.” —NUVO
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