←Recommendations of 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.

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.

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!

BONDAGE may be the most brilliant coming-of-age play ever written. Star’s work is so layered, so smart, and has so much heart. As Zuri teeters between girl and woman, we feel every pain, every joy, every shock. Star’s created a story of intersectional feminism that centers Black women, a story deeply modern and also truthfully rooted in the horror of slavery. We were overwhelmed by positive response from all demographics. It’s the only show in our 14-year history where the response was so strong, we remounted the production. Audiences are ravenous for this story.

The genius of Finch’s writing is that her use of Afro-surrealism directly connects us to our nation’s traumatic history through a powerful black female centered lens, mixing repulsive performance with the spiritual. She exposes the aggression of language, and the hunger for darkness inside of us.