Blood at the Root

Different Strokes! Performance Arts Collective presents a new play based on a true story.

Sharvis Smith as Raylynn in Blood at the Root. Photo: Jess McWilliams
Sharvis Smith as Raylynn in Blood at the Root. Photo: Jess McWilliams

In Jena, Louisiana in 2006, six Black students were initially charged with attempted murder for a school fight after being provoked with nooses hanging from a tree on campus.

Dominique Morrisseau’s (Sunset Baby, Detroit ’67, Skeleton Crew) bold new play, Blood at the Root, is based on the true story of the Jena Six and the court case that is still cited as a prime example of racial injustice in the United States.

Referred to by DC Theater Arts as “powerfully auspicious” and “bursting with youthful exuberance, emotional authenticity, and astonishing beauty,” Blood at the Root is a striking ensemble drama that examines the miscarriage of justice surrounding the Jena Six, racial double standards, and the shattering state of Black family life in this country as a result.

As described by Different Stokes! Managing Director Stephanie Hickling-Beckman, “What happened in Jena, Louisiana in 2006 is a powerful story that sparked outrage all over the country, and instigated busloads of anti-racist activists to travel to Jena to protest the over-sentencing of six black teens being held for attempted murder.

“Morisseau has used the basic facts of that Jena story to create a choreopoem (a play that uses movement, poetry, prose or song to convey its themes) that blatantly speaks to the injustices of racism and the school to prison pipeline, but subtly demands that we also think about the realities and effects of homophobia, identity, and what it means to be Black—even within the Black community.”

The play features Leo Hedd as “De’Andre,” Daniel Henry as “Colin,” Vianna Isbister as “Karen,” Jamie Knox as “Toria,” Righteous Luster as “Justin,” Lauren Otis as “Asha,” and Sharvis Smith as “Raylynn.”

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, August 25–September 10, 2022, in the Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center for Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Avenue downtown. Post-show discussions follow Friday and Saturday performances. Tickets are $20. Masking is required for all shows performed at the Wortham Center for Performing Arts, regardless of vaccination status.

For tickets and additional information about Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, please visit www.differentstrokespac.org or call (828) 484-2014.