Bondage

by Star Finch

As Zuri transitions into puberty, she begins to reject the roles she'll be expected to play and instead conjures a new present to chart her own path into womanhood on an island plantation. Hierarchies of race and gender collide in this AfroSurreal tale of an enslaved girl who dares to follow her own instincts.

Bondage draws on Afro-Surrealism to create a new story about slavery.

As Zuri transitions into puberty, she begins to reject the roles she'll be expected to play and instead conjures a new present to chart her own path into womanhood on an island plantation. Hierarchies of race and gender collide in this AfroSurreal tale of an enslaved girl who dares to follow her own instincts.

Bondage draws on Afro-Surrealism to create a new story about slavery.

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Bondage

Recommended by

  • Patty Kim Hamilton: Bondage

    I read this play a year ago and it still haunts me (in the most beautiful way) - the rare freshness of the voices, the truly surreal twists of the story, the characters which stayed with me in their indiosyncratic and strange realness. A play examining power and the 'feminine' experience, coming of age and race - one that should be read by anyone interested in understanding the pulse of new work now.

    I read this play a year ago and it still haunts me (in the most beautiful way) - the rare freshness of the voices, the truly surreal twists of the story, the characters which stayed with me in their indiosyncratic and strange realness. A play examining power and the 'feminine' experience, coming of age and race - one that should be read by anyone interested in understanding the pulse of new work now.

  • Shaun Leisher: Bondage

    Afro-surrealism is a genre I was not very familiar with before this play but now I am dying to read more work that falls under this categorization. This is a truly unique look at the the institution of slavery and the relationships between White and Black women that speaks to our current moment so deeply. The poetry and music of the dialogue makes this a feast for actors and I can't wait for the day I get to hear this play live. Finch brilliantly uses the past to help us see the damage White women still inflict on Black women.

    Afro-surrealism is a genre I was not very familiar with before this play but now I am dying to read more work that falls under this categorization. This is a truly unique look at the the institution of slavery and the relationships between White and Black women that speaks to our current moment so deeply. The poetry and music of the dialogue makes this a feast for actors and I can't wait for the day I get to hear this play live. Finch brilliantly uses the past to help us see the damage White women still inflict on Black women.

  • Emma Goldman-Sherman: Bondage

    The poetic language and haunting rhythms move this play to its brutal and necessary climax with aplomb! Finch captures both the excitement and terror of puberty in a world that commodifies female flesh, and the intersectionality of the play sings. I love the scene where the master tries to tell the slave how he understands her. What a wonderfully theatrical vise of a play!

    The poetic language and haunting rhythms move this play to its brutal and necessary climax with aplomb! Finch captures both the excitement and terror of puberty in a world that commodifies female flesh, and the intersectionality of the play sings. I love the scene where the master tries to tell the slave how he understands her. What a wonderfully theatrical vise of a play!

View all 5 recommendations

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Undermain Theatre , Year 2023
  • Type Professional, Organization A.C.T.'s ArtShare remount of AlterTheater's original production, Year 2018
  • Type Professional, Organization AlterTheater, Year 2017

Awards

  • Relentless Award
    Honorable Mention
  • Princess Grace Award
    Semi-Finalist