Joice Heth Ain't Dead or Barnum's Black Ballyhoo

by Ryan Vincent Anderson

In 1835, a young, brazen and unknown P.T. Barnum, buys and exploits a black slave woman named Joice Heth - believed to be 161 years old and the former mammy to George Washington. JOICE HETH AIN’T DEAD imagines the longtime buried history of how one black woman launched the career of one of the most well known celebrities of the 19th century, while raising the question - why was it buried to begin with.

In 1835, a young, brazen and unknown P.T. Barnum, buys and exploits a black slave woman named Joice Heth - believed to be 161 years old and the former mammy to George Washington. JOICE HETH AIN’T DEAD imagines the longtime buried history of how one black woman launched the career of one of the most well known celebrities of the 19th century, while raising the question - why was it buried to begin with.

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

Joice Heth Ain't Dead or Barnum's Black Ballyhoo

Character Information

Joice Heth should be played by a black woman 40s and up.

Reggie and William should be played by the same actor.

Massa, Levy, Dr. Rogers should be played by the same actor.
  • Joice Heth
    a senior black woman rumored to be 161 years old, and former mammy of baby George Washington.
    70s, 80s
    African American/Black
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Reggie
    son to Joice Heth. enslaved.
    12, and 30s
    African American/Black
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Phineas Taylor "P.T." Barnum
    yes, that Barnum, but for now, a young, ambitious, former store owner with an eye for talent.
    20s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Levy Lyman
    Barnum’s colleague and assistant. Southern. Wears his bigotry on his sleeve.
    30s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • William Cooper Nell
    A free man employed at The Liberator, a Boston abolitionist newspaper.
    20s
    African American/Black
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Massa
    a slave-owning farmer.
    30s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Dr. Rogers
    a pathologist.
    30s, 40s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man