The Playwrights Database
TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY
(1980 - )
Nationality:
USA
email:
n/a
Website:
n/a
Literary Agent:
Macnaughton Representation USA agent
International Creative Management
Tarell Alvin McCraney (born October 17, 1980) is an American playwright and actor. He is author of the Brother/Sister Trilogy: the Brothers Size, In the Red and Brown Water, & Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet. His other works include Wig Out! set in New York's drag clubs and the Breach which deals with the aftermath of Hurricane KatrinA. He was the first recipient of the New York Times' Outstanding Playwright Award, the 2009 Steinberg Playwrights Award, and the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. In April 2010, McCraney became the 43rd member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble.
Research: Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)
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American Trade
When things get a little too hot for him in New York, good-looking, charismatic hustler Pharus escapes the clutches of rap star Jules and moves to London, where he sets up an escort business under the guise of a model agency. A funny, uncompromising and outspoken play about survival, which challenges assumptions about racial and sexual identity. It is also a celebration of 21st century London in all its extravagant, confusing and dynamic diversity
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
RSC
1st Published:
Faber 2011
Music:
-
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Genre:
Gay full length
Parts:
Male: 10 Female: 9 Other: -
Further Reference:
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Breach, The
Synopsis:
deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Bagley Wright Theatre, Seattle, WA
10 Jan 2008
Organisations:
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1st Published:
-
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Brothers Size, The
Playing fast and loose with West African myths, the Brothers Size brings contemporary rhythms together with traditions of ceremonial presentation to tell the modern-day story of the Size brothers-Ogun, an auto mechanic, and Oshoosi, a recent parolee. This Drama asks its audience to be at once the community, the witness, and the judge
- press release
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Under The Radar Festival
2006
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Music:
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Choir Boy
Determined to make his mark like those before him Pharus is hell bent on being the best choir leader in the school's 50 year history. But in a world built on rites and rituals, how will he conform to expectations and gain the respect he desperately needs?
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Faber and Faber (6 Sep 2012)
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2014)
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 7 Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Head Of Passes
Synopsis:
Setting: The distant present, at the mouth of the shifting Mississippi River. Shelah's family and friends plan a surprise birthday party for her. But the festivities are quickly overshadowed by a series of revelations that point to a dark secret in the family's pastrevelations that leave Shelah trying to find faith, a footing and a truer sense of God. Ensemble members Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tina Landau, the writer and director behind Steppenwolf's lauded production of The Brother/Sister Plays, team up again for this ensemble drama, told in McCraney's signature stylea vast and bustling landscape, where the spiritual world mingles freely with the day-to-day.
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Theatre Communications Group 2018
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama 130 min
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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In the Red and Brown Water
Oya is a star athlete. She never feels so right as when she's running. As a girl she has to choose between following her dream and caring for her sick mother. As a woman she is torn between two men and is desperate to bear a child. This is a story of early womanhood, drawing on a rich tapestry of literature from the earthy tones of Lorca's Yerma to the vibrant storytelling tradition of West African folklore. Stories and characters familiar from the Brothers Size resonate through the play as McCraney's poetry weaves seamlessly into the street talk of pre-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Faber and Faber, London, 2008
Dramatists Play Service, Inc, 2013
Music:
-
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Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 4 Female: 6 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Lone, A
Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
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Organisations:
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1st Published:
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Music:
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Marcus or the Secret of Sweet
part of Tarell Alvin McCraney's trilogy of collection of modern-day stories of kinship, love, heartache and coming-of-age centered around an extended family and community in the Bayou. In this whimsical story of a young boy becoming a man and discovering his sexuality, Marcus risks alienating his loved ones in his own search for love. Past and present, obligation and desire, lust and friendship all collide in the sultry Louisiana heat.
- nytheatre.com
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Public Theater, NY
17 Nov 2009
Organisations:
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1st Published:
Faber 2011
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
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Genre:
Gay full length
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Ms Blakk For President
Synopsis:
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Notes:
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1st Produced:
Steppenwolf Upstairs, Chicago
23 May 2019
Organisations:
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1st Published:
-
Music:
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Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
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Run Mourner, Run
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
Based on A short story by Randall Keenan
1st Produced:
Yale Cabaret
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
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Genre:
One act
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Wig Out!
It tells the story of two competing drag houses, and the loves, loyalties, and dreams within each that draw their members together and apart
- nytheatre.com
Notes:
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1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Faber and Faber, London, 2008
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 6 Female: 5 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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Without/Sin
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
Based on A short story by Randall Keenan
1st Produced:
Yale Cabaret
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
One act
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
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