Confederates

by Dominique Morisseau

Dominique Morisseau’s most radical play yet follows two Black women living more than a century apart as they struggle to free themselves from parallel systems of oppression. Confederates tells the story of two women in what at first appear to be radically different circumstances. Sara is an enslaved rebel ferrying information from her master’s house to nearby Union soldiers. Sandra is a political science professor enduring misogynoir at a predominantly white university. As the play progresses, the line between the past and the present blurs, leading the audience to question how far we have come since 1865—and how far we still have to go.
In Morisseau’s words, “I don’t believe in the inhumanity of the enslaved.” This play delves into serious themes with a satirical tone, never allowing the audience to forget the full complexity of enslaved people—their humor, their sexuality, and their intelligence—alongside their pain. In its thematic ambition and its finesse with sharply-contrasting tones, Confederates is a major work by one of America’s most exciting playwrights.

Genres: Plays

112 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2025

About the author

Dominique Morisseau is an American playwright and actress from Detroit, Michigan. She has authored over nine plays, three of which are part of a cycle titled The Detroit Projects. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship for 2018.

Reviews

[Victoria]

A really good play. I love the parallels created by having actors double up characters (and as a costumer I so want to see how they did that) and how the play flips between past and present. I also love the note at the beginning from the author telling people to lean into the humor and absurdity of some moments so the moments that feel more weighty can really have weight.

[mengwe]

great play!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Bill]

4F/1M - play about two parallel lives of black women in present day and during the civil war. Themes of injustice, truth, questioned power, and complex relationships. Display of nudity by a woman.