| The Brother/Sister Plays | |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Written by | Tarell Alvin McCraney |
| Genre | Drama |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 2009 |
| Place | New York City |
The Brother/Sister Plays is a triptych of plays written by American playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. The play premiered in 2008 at the Young Vic Theatre in London, before moving in 2009 to the McCarter Theatre Center in New Jersey. It then premiered Off-Broadway at The Public Theater later that year. The play has been widely praised for its naturalism, themes and McCraney's writing.
All three plays are set in the Louisiana bayou across several decades, culminating in a hurricane, akin to Hurricane Katrina. McCraney was inspired by the exploration of mythology and religion, specifically West African spiritual traditions when writing the plays. He named the characters of Oya, Ogun and Elegba after Yoruban deities.
McCraney wrote the play during his second year attending the Yale School of Drama, where he was an assistant to August Wilson. Oskar Eustis, then artistic director of The Public Theater, attended a reading and lauded his generational voice."
The main character of In The Red and Brown Water is Oya, a young woman who is a talented track runner. She sacrifices her ambition and a full ride scholarship to state university to stay home with her dying Mother. Oya’s life quickly becomes about relationships. An adoring young man and hard worker with a stutter, Ogun, is in love with Oya, but she is unable to resist the advances of the passionate “bad boy” Shango. Soon, Shango goes to war, and Oya moves in with Ogun. A long time friend, Elegba, visits Oya throughout her narrative and after learning he has fathered a child, Oya realizes that she is unable to have children. She pushes Ogun away at the same time that Shango returns, and shortly after, Oya learns he has impregnated a local girl, Shun. With no career and the inability to live up to societal expectations of being a mother, Oya spirals into madness to the point where she cuts off her ear in order to prove her love to Shango.
Set a few years later, we meet Ogun’s brother Oshoosi, who has recently been released from prison. Ogun is a hardworking man who does not want to see him go back to jail. He unsuccessfully tries to ground his free-spirited brother, whose only dream is buying a car and driving somewhere far away. While Ogun tries to get Oshoosi on the right track, Elegba, Oshoosi’s prison mate and occasional lover, just wants to have fun. He gifts Oshoosi with a car and the two go for a ride, but Elegba neglects to tell him that he is carrying cocaine in his duffel bag. A power hungry local sheriff discovers Elegba’s cocaine and instead of staying to face charges, Oshoosi runs home to Ogun. Ogun convinces his brother to run away, saying he will deny his brother’s existence when the police arrive. Oshoosi ends up fleeing to Mexico.
Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet is set several years in the future and introduces Elegba’s son, Marcus. Marcus is 16 and after having a dream in which Oshoosi comes to him, he seeks to discover what similarities he has with his recently deceased father. On the journey to learn more about his past, Marcus learns a surprising amount about himself as well. He meets Shua, a young man who has just moved into the area, who forces him to explore his own sexuality.
| Company | Place | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company One | Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA | October 28 – December 3, 2011 | |
| The McCarter Theatre Company | McCarter Theatre, New Jersey | May 14 - June 21, 2016 |
| Company | Place | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young Vic | Young Vic Theatre, London | Oct 9 - Nov 8, 2008 | |
| The Foundry Theatre | The Public Theater, NYC | Oct 21 - Dec 20, 2009 | |
| Steppenwolf Theatre Company | Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL | Jan 21 - May 23, 2010 | |
| The Fountain Theatre | The Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, CA | 2012–13 | |
| Company | Place | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young Vic | Young Vic Theatre, London | Nov 13 - Dec 12, 2007 | |
| The Foundry Theatre | The Public Theater, NYC | Oct 21 - Dec 20, 2009 | |
| Young Vic | Young Vic Theatre, London | Jan 19 - Feb 14, 2018 | |
| Geffen Playhouse and The Shed | Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles The Shed, NYC | Aug 14 - Sept 08, 2024 Aug 30 - Sept 28, 2025 |
| Company | Place | Dates | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Conservatory Theater | The Geary Theatre, San Francisco, CA | Oct 29 - Nov 21, 2010 | |
| Studio Theatre | Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C. | Jan 12, 2011 - Feb 20, 2011 | |
| Guthrie Theatre | Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN | Sept 12 - Oct 05, 2014 |
The works have been cited as inspiration for a. k. payne's play Furlough's Paradise, which was awarded the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2025.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Olivier Award | Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre | Nominated | ||
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | New York Times | New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award | Tarell Alvin McCraney | Won | |
| Steinberg Playwright Awards | Won | ||||
| Lucille Lortel Award | Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Lighting Design | Peter Kaczorowski | Nominated | |||
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated | ||
| Distinguished Performance | André Holland | Nominated | |||
| Alani iLongwe | Nominated | ||||
| Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Play | Tarell Alvin McCraney and Bijan Sheiban | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Music in a Play | Stan Mathabane and Munir Zakee | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | André Holland | Nominated | |||
| Alani iLongwe | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play | Malcolm Mays | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Direction of a Play | Tarell Alvin McCraney and Bijan Shibani | Nominated | |||