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Overview

Synopsis

The Scottsboro Boys have come from eternity to the theater we are in to reenact as “vaudeville” scenes the story of their convictions for gang rape, despite prima facie evidence of their innocence. The historical event was, in many ways, something of a vaudeville. But also, as revealed early on, the first four of the nine to get released (after seven years), appeared within a matter of weeks in a New York vaudeville show.

The Scottsboro case commenced in 1931 when a fight aboard a freight train between black and whites resulted in the train being stopped in Scottsboro, Alabama. Nine African-Americans, ages 13-20, were arrested. They were not all involved in or even aware of the fight and the few whites who were caught were not arrested. Among the whites were two women dressed in men’s overalls. They accused the nine blacks of rape and the case of the Scottsboro Boys ensued.

The case highlighted several elements of American culture. One in particular was the exploitation of racism by the two women who falsely accused these young black men; the flip-side to which was the Communist Party’s exploitation of racism in its efforts to recruit African Americans.

Not in the national spotlight that the case became – but very much in the spotlight onstage – are the nine young men themselves, each having to cope individually and as a group with an event of this magnitude and with each other.

The cast is composed of nine African-American actors, representing the nine Scottsboro Boys. To reenact their story, they portray all the characters – male, female, black, and white. To portray the females, at least two of the actors are females, and they play the roles of the youngest Scottsboro Boys. To portray the white characters, half-masks are used.

Show Information

Book
Mark Stein
Category
Play
Age Guidance
Mature Audiences (M)
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
2000
Genres
Drama, Dark Comedy, Historical/Biographical
Settings
Simple/No Set
Time & Place
Present Day
Cast Size
medium
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Late Teen, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Haywood Patterson

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Charlie Weems

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Andy Wright

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Leroy Wright

Supporting

Female

Non-singer

Eugene Williams

Supporting

Female

Non-singer

Ozie Powell

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Olen Montgomery

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Clarence Norris

Supporting

Male

Non-singer

Willie Roberson

Featured

Male

Non-singer

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

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Guide Written By:

Alexandra Appleton

Alexandra Appleton

Writer, editor and theatre researcher