Synopsis
A Lesson Before Dying
$13
Romulus Linney from Ernest J. Gaines
Published by Dramatists Play Service
5 Male 2 Female
In the backwoods of Louisiana in 1948, innocent young man Jefferson has been condemned to death
At his trial, his lawyer attempted to save his life by calling him no more a human being than a hog
And so now in prison Jefferson takes on that role, insisting that he'll have to be dragged to the Chair like a hog
But his godmother asks impoverished teacher Grant Wiggins to persuade him to die like a man
REVIEWS
"A lesson in the transformative power of theatre" ~ Time Out New York
"The story's wrenching power lies not in its outrage but in the almost inexplicable grace the characters must muster as their only resistance to being treated like lesser beings" ~ The New Yorker
"Irresistible momentum and a cathartic explosiona powerful inevitability ~ NY Times
"Easily the most powerful play to come from Alabama Shakespeare Festival's Southern Writers' Project It is a palpable treasure for its audience" ~ Montgomery Advertiser.