The Red and the Black

by Keelay Gipson

You know that thing new couples do? Where they invite their other coupled friends to a weekend away to show off their new relationship? This play takes place in the Berkshires during one such weekend. And what was supposed to be a ritualistic coming together of friends, spirals into something much different by the weekend’s end. A meditation on the rise of New Black Conservatism, The Red and the Black toys with...

You know that thing new couples do? Where they invite their other coupled friends to a weekend away to show off their new relationship? This play takes place in the Berkshires during one such weekend. And what was supposed to be a ritualistic coming together of friends, spirals into something much different by the weekend’s end. A meditation on the rise of New Black Conservatism, The Red and the Black toys with the notion that all skinfolk
ain’t kinfolk.

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The Red and the Black

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher: The Red and the Black by Keelay Gipson
    “

    This play went places I really didn't expect. Loved the conversations happening in this play and how surprising it was. I need to see this produced.

    This play went places I really didn't expect. Loved the conversations happening in this play and how surprising it was. I need to see this produced.

    ”
  • Nick Malakhow: The Red and the Black by Keelay Gipson
    “

    I love how this takes tropes of the "white people reckoning with problems in remote estates" genre and uses them to explode conceptions of Black culture and existence being a monolith. Gipson explores the line between ideological debate and ethical/moral truth, as well as exposes the innate fear behind so much political grandstanding and digging in--fear of losing power, fear of the ways others perceive you, the real fear of harm to yourself if you don't protect those like you. I loved the heightened moments that blended poetry, lyricism, and an unsettling/complex touch of ritual/horror.

    I love how this takes tropes of the "white people reckoning with problems in remote estates" genre and uses them to explode conceptions of Black culture and existence being a monolith. Gipson explores the line between ideological debate and ethical/moral truth, as well as exposes the innate fear behind so much political grandstanding and digging in--fear of losing power, fear of the ways others perceive you, the real fear of harm to yourself if you don't protect those like you. I loved the heightened moments that blended poetry, lyricism, and an unsettling/complex touch of ritual/horror.

    ”
  • Playwrights Foundation: The Red and the Black by Keelay Gipson
    “

    The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2021 enthusiastically recommends THE RED AND THE BLACK as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We were deeply moved by Julien's experience spending a weekend in the Berkshires and getting caught in a web of arguments & rituals. We were compelled by this play's promise as a piece about Black conservatism in a way that's suspenseful, with purposeful questions left for the audience to discern for themselves. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly...

    The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2021 enthusiastically recommends THE RED AND THE BLACK as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We were deeply moved by Julien's experience spending a weekend in the Berkshires and getting caught in a web of arguments & rituals. We were compelled by this play's promise as a piece about Black conservatism in a way that's suspenseful, with purposeful questions left for the audience to discern for themselves. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly towards production. #BAPF2021

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    ”

Development History

  • Reading, The Lark, 2020

Awards