Public Domain Bipoc Plays

PUBLIC DOMAIN BIPOC PLAYS

The following is a list of plays in the Public Domain by BIPOC writers including links as to where you can find the texts. Any translations included are also in the Public Domain. Not all texts are available in an English translation but we have included them in their original language. We have included cautions, but as always, please make sure you read/review the scripts before sharing with your students.

Cast Year Playwright Play Gender Description Cautions Language Link to Script Size Published This three-act play depicts an educated, sensitive Angelina Weld Rachel: A Play in racial https://archive.org/stream/ 13 3 m 10 f young woman who comes to 1920 English Grimké Three Acts language rachelplayinthre00grimrich?ref=ol understanding of the realities of American racism.

Jim and Dave are a struggling Langston The Mule-Bone: song-and-dance team, Hughes and A Comedy of 19 9 m 10 f and when a woman comes 1930 language English http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19435 Zora Neale Negro Life in between them, chaos ensues Hurston Three Acts in their tiny Florida hometown.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15902 LOC Also Nora Zeale A short play about a group of has a whole collection on her: https://www.loc.gov/ Poker! 7 6 m 1 f 1931 English Hurston men playing poker. collections/zora-neale-hurston-plays/about-this- collection/

English: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6523 Amal is a child confined to his Rabindranath English/ Bengali: https://books.google.com/books/about/%E0% The Post Office 10 9 m 1 f adoptive uncle's home by an 1912 Tagore Bengali A6%A1%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%98%E0%A incurable disease 6%B0_Dakghar_Bengali.html?id=jFIcBAAAQBAJ

Los empeños de A romantic farce about two http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/los- Juana Inés de 6 m 3 f 4 sexual una casa (House 13 siblings involved in a variety of 1683 Spanish empenos-de-una-casa--0/html/07a80f4a-6a7d-4029- la Cruz m/f innuendos of Desires) romantic entanglements. 8fd5-5a0017ec6fb6_3.html

Nelson examined the idea that the black man's service to his country and his race required his life as a response to the Alice Moore Mine Eyes Have https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/civil- 8 4 m 4 f Selective Service Act of 1917 1918 language English Dunbar-Nelson Seen rights/crisis/0400-crisis-v15n06-w090.pdf as well as promoted the anti- lynching movement through the exploration of the broken black home during that time.

Drama Teacher ACADEMY © Angelika Menendez 2020 1 Cast Year Playwright Play Gender Description Cautions Language Link to Script Size Published Over six acts, the Malay- language play follows two brothers, one a devout son who holds firmly to his morals and personal honour, while https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Allah_ Kwee Tek Hoay Allah jang Palsoe 13 10 m 3 f the other worships money and 1919 Malay jang_Palsoe_(1919).pdf&page=17 prioritises personal gain. Over more than a decade, the two learn that money (the titular false god) is not the path to happiness.

Vedam Venkata https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.333197/ Usha's Play 8 4 m 4 f A famous Indian drama. 1913 Telugu Raya Shastri page/n1/mode/2up

Romance, comedy, intrigue and a political subplot detailing the overthrow of 5 CE (English 27 the city's despotic ruler by a version Sanskrit/ https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/theatre-of- Shudraka The Toy Cart (flexible 20 m 7 f shepherd. The play is notable published in English the-hindus casting) among extant Sanskrit drama 1800s) for its focus on a fictional scenario rather than on a classical tale or legend.

A celebrated Indian drama Sakoontala; Or, 26 translated from the Sanskrit, 15 m sex/talk of Kalidasa The Lost Ring: (flexible Sakoontala tells the story of 1800s English http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12169 11 w sex An Indian Drama casting) the beautiful but innocent Sakoontala.

Malamitmadhava 8 CE (English The love stories of the https://books.google.com/books?id=o4koAAAAYAAJ& (Málati and version Sanskrit/ Bhavabhuti 18 10 m 8 f daughter and son of 2 printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_ Mádhava, or the published in English ministers. summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false Stolen Marriage). 1800s)

One of many Noh plays derived from the story of Taira Zembo 3 + 3 m + English Ikuta no Atsumori, a young Taira 1920 http://www.theatrehistory.com/plays/ikuta.html Motoyaso chorus chorus translation clan samurai who was killed in the 1184 battle of Ichi-no-Tani

A compulsive liar disrupts an http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/la-verdad- Juan Ruiz de La Verdad 13 10 m 3 f entire community before he is 1634 Spanish sospechosa--comedia-famosa/html/6b19252f-0e9e-4ffe- Alarcón sospechosa reined in and order is restored. b5ec-3f39a38fe17c_2.html

Drama Teacher ACADEMY © Angelika Menendez 2020 2 Cast Year Playwright Play Gender Description Cautions Language Link to Script Size Published Book by Flournoy Miller Two dishonest partners in a 20+ 16 m 4 f & Aubrey Lyles grocery store, Sam and Steve, http://static.nypl.org/MOTM/ShuffleAlong/ Shufle Along (flexible (flexible 1921 English Music by Eubie both run for mayor in Jimtown, ShuffleAlong.pdf casting) casting) Blake Lyrics by USA. Noble Sissle

Joji Sakurai and Marie Plays of Old Flexible Flexible A collection of different Noh https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44092/44092- 1913 English Carmichael Japan: The 'No' casting casting plays from Japan h/44092-h.htm Stopes

A satirical drama and was the first literary work of post- THE Columbian Nicaragua. It is GÜEGÜENCE; A regarded as one of Latin Comedy Ballet America's most distinctive Spanish/ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40559/40559- Anonymous 8 7 m 1 f 16th c in the Nahautle- colonial-era expressions and English h/40559-h.htm Spanish Dialect as Nicaragua's signature of Nicaragua folkloric masterpiece combining music, dance and theater.

A Sanskrit drama about a 600s (English https://books.google.com/books?id=o4koAAAAYAAJ& beautiful princess named English Harsha The Ratnavali 15 7 m 8 w translation printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_ Ratnavali, and a great king Translation from 1800s) summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false named Udayana.

Nishikigi (in A traveling priest helps to 1916 the collection 3 + 2 m 1 w unite two spirits who were https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8094/8094-h/8094-h. Motokiyo (translation English Certain Noble chorus +chorus unable to be together when htm#link2H_4_0002 published) Plays of Japan) they were alive

The two central characters The Love 8 m 2 f are a young orphan merchant Chikamatsu https://bfreeman.edublogs.org/files/2010/09/Love- Suicides at 10 (flexible clerk named Tokubei and the 1703/1717 suicide English Monzaemon Suicides.pdf Sonezaki casting) courtesan he is in love with, Ohatsu.

7 m 3 w The show takes place in Fernando Una victima de 10 + (flexible Buenes Aires during the 1845 Spanish https://autores.uy/obra/8759 Xavier De Acha Rosas ensemble casting) montn of April 1840.

Translated Different snippets of Japanese by Thomas Japanese Plays flexible flexible https://www.google.com/books/edition/Japanese_ plays translated into English 1879 English Russell Hillier (verisified) casting casting Plays_versified/IQ40AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 and written in verse McClatchie

Drama Teacher ACADEMY © Angelika Menendez 2020 3 Cast Year Playwright Play Gender Description Cautions Language Link to Script Size Published A traditional Mexican miracle Los Pastores: A Translated by flexible flexible play told in verse and songs. Mexican Play on 1907 English https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001631360 M.R. Cole casting casting Typically had been passed the Nativity down by word of mouth.

Juan Miguel La vuelta al A Mexican drama in three acts https://www.google.com/books/edition/La_vuelta_al_ 12 9 m 3 w 1851 Spanish De Losada mundo and verse mundo/cSAzAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

Narrates the ascent of the king https://www.google.com/books/edition/ English The Signet of 19 + Chandragupta Maurya ( r . c. Select_Specimens_of_the_Theatre_of_ Vishakhadatta 19 m translation English the Minister ensemble 324 – c. 297 BCE) to power in the_H/08Qu5CGlTWYC?hl=en&gbpv 1835 India. =1&dq=slave+theatre&pg=PA83&printsec=frontcover

17 14 m 3 w Ayar Manko: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ayar_manko/ Juan Rios (flexible (flexible A cultural play from Lima, Peru 1693 Spanish teatro u6MyAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 casting) casting)

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Escape/ mvBMAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 The Escape 11 m The first black play ever William Wells 14 + racial or A Leap for 3 w + published surrounding anti- 1858 English Brown ensemble language Note: is public domain due to its writings in 1800s and Freedom ensemble slavery and freedom lack of copywright when first produced in 1970s at Emerson College

If you decide to use one of these texts to work on with your students, take the time to do some research on the author and context. Look into the who, what, where, when and why: Who wrote the text? What’s the author’s background? Where are they from? Can you find out why they wrote the text? What other material did they write? How has their background influenced their writing? What was happening in the time period? How did the time period influence the author and/or the text? Are there any elements of the text based on events of the time period? Make sure students understand the foundation for the text before they explore it.