The Shackles of Liberty

Paris, 1789. The French Revolution has begun. On his last day in Paris as America’s Minister to France, Thomas Jefferson helps Patriots of the National Assembly to write the Declaration of the Rights of Man. But he is bedeviled by personal dilemmas. Maria Cosway, his Italian-English lover, dreams of sharing Napoleonic power with him as the revolution unfolds. His oldest daughter, Patsy, wants to become a...
Paris, 1789. The French Revolution has begun. On his last day in Paris as America’s Minister to France, Thomas Jefferson helps Patriots of the National Assembly to write the Declaration of the Rights of Man. But he is bedeviled by personal dilemmas. Maria Cosway, his Italian-English lover, dreams of sharing Napoleonic power with him as the revolution unfolds. His oldest daughter, Patsy, wants to become a Catholic nun. His mixed-race servant Sally Hemings insists upon staying in Paris — and she is pregnant with his child. During the play’s powerful final moments, Thomas and Sally bargain over the terms of her return.
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The Shackles of Liberty

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Jacksonville State University Department of Drama
    ,
    2017

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
New Play Festival
,
Centre Stage Theatre
,
2018
Semi-Finalist
,
New Playwrights Conference
,
Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
,
2017
Semi-Finalist
,
Summer Playwrights Festival 8
,
Road Theatre Company
,
2017
Second Round
,
The Phoenix Theatre Festival of New American Theatre
,
2017
Winner
,
Southern Playwrights Competition
,
Jacksonville State University
,
2016
Semi-Finalist
,
Ashland New Plays Festival
,
2016
Finalist
,
Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition
,
Alleyway Theatre, Buffalo, NY
,
2015