The Great Khan

by Michael Gene Sullivan

Jayden, an African-American teenager, just wants to be his game.playing nerdy self. But after he saves a girl, Ant, from almost being raped he and his mother are forced to move to keep him safe from he boys who attacked her.

And while Jayden debates with himself if he should toughen up, Ant tries to reject the tough Black girl persona she has adopted in reaction to her victimization.

Both are trying to...

Jayden, an African-American teenager, just wants to be his game.playing nerdy self. But after he saves a girl, Ant, from almost being raped he and his mother are forced to move to keep him safe from he boys who attacked her.

And while Jayden debates with himself if he should toughen up, Ant tries to reject the tough Black girl persona she has adopted in reaction to her victimization.

Both are trying to figure out how to be themselves in a country that sees them as runaway slaves, trying to define themselves in a culture that insists on defining them as only and forever dangerous.

Then Genghis Khan shows up.

read more
  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Reading List

The Great Khan

Recommended by

  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend: The Great Khan by Michael Gene Sullivan
    “

    Oh my gosh, I adore this. It touches on so many things - racism, how history is told by the victors, and the struggles of adolescence, just to name a few. The dialogue is brilliant, the mother/son relationship in the play is adorable, and Genghis Khan shows up! "The Great Khan" taught me many things, such as 1. The Mongols invented pants, and 2. I should read more of Michael Gene Sullivan's work.

    Oh my gosh, I adore this. It touches on so many things - racism, how history is told by the victors, and the struggles of adolescence, just to name a few. The dialogue is brilliant, the mother/son relationship in the play is adorable, and Genghis Khan shows up! "The Great Khan" taught me many things, such as 1. The Mongols invented pants, and 2. I should read more of Michael Gene Sullivan's work.

    ”
  • Danielle Ward: The Great Khan by Michael Gene Sullivan
    “

    This play offers a fresh look at the question of who controls the narrative of people's identity. The idea is that he who writes history, defines the future and that he is usually male and white. This story offers an inventive, humorous, and theatrical way into several teenagers exploration of this question. And then Genghis Khan shows up! We are excited to produce this play on our stages in 2022.

    This play offers a fresh look at the question of who controls the narrative of people's identity. The idea is that he who writes history, defines the future and that he is usually male and white. This story offers an inventive, humorous, and theatrical way into several teenagers exploration of this question. And then Genghis Khan shows up! We are excited to produce this play on our stages in 2022.

    ”

Development History

  • Residency, The Playwrights Foundation, 2020

Production History