- Mar 15, 2017
More by Morisseau: A Dominique Morisseau Chronology of Works
Television & Film:
SHAMELESS
Writer, Story Editor, Executive Story Editor, Co-Producer 2016-2018, Showtime
The series: This dramedy based on a British series centers on siblings in a dysfunctional Chicago family who struggle while coping with their alcoholic father.
HAL KING
Writer, 2017
The film: In this adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” Hal King is part of the 1950s beatnik jazz scene, running with drug addicts and fast women. But after being drafted for the Korean War, he may be forced to choose between carrying his father's political legacy and the woman he loves.
Full Length Plays:
AIN’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS
World premiere 2017, Berkeley Repertory Theatre
The play: An electrifying musical about the life and times of The Temptations, the greatest R&B group of all time (Billboard Magazine, 2017). They were five young guys on the streets of Detroit when they were discovered by Berry Gordy, who signed them to his legendary new label. After 24 attempts, they finally had a hit, and the rest is history—how they met, how they rose, the groundbreaking heights they hit, and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the nation fell into civil unrest. Kennedy Prize-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau brings this thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty, and betrayal.
Playbill: “What Do Critics Think of Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations?”
Script not yet available.
PIPELINE
World premiere 2017, Lincoln Center, NY
The play: Nya, an inner-city public high school teacher, is committed to her students but desperate to give her only son Omari opportunities they’ll never have. When a controversial incident at his upstate private school threatens to get him expelled, Nya must confront her son’s rage and her own choices as a parent. But will she be able to reach him before a world beyond her control pulls him away?
American Theatre: “Push and Pull: Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline”
Script available at Samuel French
SKELETON CREW
World premiere 2016, Atlantic Theater Company, NY
The play: At the start of the Great Recession, one of the last auto stamping plants in Detroit is on shaky ground. Each of the workers have to make choices on how to move forward if their plant goes under. Shanita has to decide how she'll support herself and her unborn child, Faye has to decide how and where she'll live, and Dez has to figure out how to make his ambitious dreams a reality. Power dynamics shift as their manager Reggie is torn between doing right by his work family, and by the red tape in his office. Powerful and tense, this is the third play in Dominique Morisseau's Detroit cycle trilogy.
Script available at Amazon.com
Script available as part of “The Detroit Project: Three Plays” in March 2018
PARADISE BLUE
World premiere 2015, Williamstown Theatre Festival
The play: Blue, a gifted trumpeter, contemplates selling his once-vibrant jazz club in Detroit’s Blackbottom neighborhood to shake free the demons of his past and better his life. But where does that leave his devoted Pumpkin, who has dreams of her own? And what does it mean for the club’s resident bebop band? When a mysterious woman with a walk that drives men mad comes to town with her own plans, everyone’s world is turned upside down. This dynamic and musically-infused drama shines light on the challenges of building a better future on the foundation of what our predecessors have left us.
NY Times: “‘Paradise Blue’ Rekindles Racial Drama in 1949 Detroit”
Script available as part of “The Detroit Project: Three Plays” in March 2018
BLOOD AT THE ROOT
World premiere Mar. 2014, Penn State School of Theater
The play: Ensemble drama based on the Jena Six: six Black students who were initially charged with attempted murder for a school fight after being provoked with nooses hanging from a tree on campus. This bold new play examines the miscarriage of justice, racial double standards, and the crises in relations between men and women of all classes and, as a result, the shattering state of Black family life.
NY Times: “Blood at the Root Draws Inspiration from the Jena Six Case in Louisiana”
Script available at Amazon.com
SUNSET BABY
World premiere Nov. 2013, Labyrinth Theater Co., NY
The play: Kenyatta Shakur is alone. His wife has died, and this former Black Revolutionary and political prisoner is desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter, Nina. If Kenyatta truly wants to reconcile his past, he must first conquer his most challenging revolution of all – fatherhood. Sunset Baby is an energized, vibrant, and witty look at the point where the personal and political collide. One of the most exciting and distinctive voices in America.
Script available at Amazon.com
DETROIT ’67
World premiere Mar. 2013, Public Theater, NY
The play: Detroit ’67 takes the audience on a journey to 1967, in the city of Detroit. Motown music is getting the party started, and Chelle and her brother Lank are making ends meet by turning their basement into an after-hours joint. But when a mysterious woman finds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than the family business. As their pent-up feelings erupt, so does their city, and they find themselves caught in the middle of the '67 riots. Following an acclaimed run at The Public Theater in association with the Classical Theatre of Harlem and the National Black Theatre, Detroit '67 explores a moment in history that exploded racial tensions and perception in America.
American Theatre: “Detroit ’67 Takes a Commemorative Lap Around Its Setting”
Script available at Amazon.com
Script available as part of “The Detroit Project: Three Plays” in March 2018
FOLLOW ME TO NELLIE’S
World premiere Jul. 2011, Zella Fry Theater/Premiere Stages, NJ
The play: An unpretentious brothel in Mississippi is the setting for a new play by Dominique Morisseau about African-Americans coping in different ways with their segregated existence in 1955. Nellie Jackson (Lynda Gravátt) successfully operates a brothel catering to white men in Natchez. A formidable woman in her late 50s who is widely known to the community for her “heart of gold,” Nellie reluctantly gives shelter to Ossie Brown, who is from up North and is working clandestinely to register black voters in spite of murderous opposition from local vigilantes. As several characters strive for greater equality, others merely dream of better times.
NY Times: “Brothel’s Guests: Love and Dreams"
Script not publicly available.
Short Plays:
NIGHT VISION (Part of “Facing Our Truth: Ten-Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege”)
New Black Fest, NY
The play: Ayanna and Ezra witness a woman getting beaten on the street by a man in a hooded sweatshirt. After they diffuse the situation they return to their apartment to call the police. However, when they discover how their accounts of the attacker differ, both are left questioning the truth of what they saw.
Script available at Samuel French
THIRD GRADE
Fire This Time Festival, NY
BLACK AT MICHIGAN
Cherry Lane, NY
SOCKS
Center Stage & American Theatre of Harlem
ROSES ARE PLAYED OUT
Center Stage & American Theatre of Harlem
LOVE AND NAPPINESS
Center Stage & American Theatre of Harlem
LOVE.LIES.LIBERATION
The New Group, NY
BUMRUSH
Hip Hop Theater Festival, NY
THE MASTERPIECE (Part of “48 Hours in…Harlem”)
HSA Theater, NY/Harlem9, Inc.