Esai's Table

Esai’s Table is an Afro-surrealist vision play dedicated to the life of Michael Brown Jr. and all the young Black men whose dreams were snuffed out by police brutality and white supremacy. Esai's Table explores the humanity of three young Black men who are being held in an ominous basement by a peculiar man who forces them to practice lines from a play that were found inside of fortune cookies. There is a large...

Esai’s Table is an Afro-surrealist vision play dedicated to the life of Michael Brown Jr. and all the young Black men whose dreams were snuffed out by police brutality and white supremacy. Esai's Table explores the humanity of three young Black men who are being held in an ominous basement by a peculiar man who forces them to practice lines from a play that were found inside of fortune cookies. There is a large, durable, oversized wooden table that appears to possess the wisdom and power of a well-aged seer filled with all their favorite foods from New York Strip to Cool Ranch Doritos. A violent storm ensues, the space floods, reality collapses, and the man sends the boys on a mythical night-sea journey on the tabletop. From unrecognizable star formations to the overwhelming beauty of the Carina Nebula and unceasing violent storms, the young men must learn to navigate the seas and the mysteries of their past that led them to this strange new world where they can create entire galaxies with their imagination.

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Esai's Table

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: Esai's Table

    A moving and powerful tribute that wakes one up to the struggles of a brutal and oppressive system and the journey toward creating a world beyond with imagination. Excellent.

    A moving and powerful tribute that wakes one up to the struggles of a brutal and oppressive system and the journey toward creating a world beyond with imagination. Excellent.

  • Asher Wyndham: Esai's Table

    I had the opportunity to see a staged reading of this incredible play a few years ago.
    This was definitely an *experience* that shocked me and woke me up.
    One of the best received staged readings I've experienced in my life.

    I had the opportunity to see a staged reading of this incredible play a few years ago.
    This was definitely an *experience* that shocked me and woke me up.
    One of the best received staged readings I've experienced in my life.

Actors of African descent.

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization JAG Productions , Year 2018
  • Type Workshop, Organization Cherry Lane Mentor Project, Year 2017
  • Type Reading, Organization Crowded Fire Theater Company, Year 2017
  • Type Reading, Organization The Playwrights' Center, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization Multistages Theater Company, Year 2016
  • Type Reading, Organization The National Black Theatre Festival, Year 2015
  • Type Reading, Organization The Lark, Year 2015
  • Type Reading, Organization The Brooklyn Generator, Year 2014

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Cherry Lane Theatre and JAG Productions, Year 2019

Awards

  • 2017 Cherry Lane's Mentor Project with Stephen Adly Guirgis
    Cherry Lane Theatre
    Selection
    2017
  • O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
    Semi-Finalist
    2016