The Anthology
Lift Every Voice and Slay
Four provocative short plays bring Black queer lives, Black masculinity, family, survival and resilience center stage, moving from laughter and confrontation to remembrance and healing.
Written byLee Summers
- Cast
- 7 actors
- Running time
- 75–90 minutes
- Content
- Mature language and themes
Available from Butterfly TheatricalsLicensing inquiry
The Plays
The Blue SuitIn a Harlem gym on the Fourth of July, a Black gay man and his father reckon with race, masculinity, sexuality and the wounds passed between generations before discovering what it means to finally set each other free.25 minutes · Explore the play →One Shot DealSeeking emergency help with his rent, a young Black gay artist enters the absurd maze of the public-assistance system, where bureaucracy, class and dignity collide before “one shot” takes on a devastating final meaning.10 minutes · Explore the play →PipsMoving between the AIDS crisis and the present, a Black queer artist and educator confronts the friends he lost, the memories he carries and the painful responsibility of passing a generation’s story forward.Approximately 60 minutes · Explore the play →Obama DramaOn the historic day President Obama endorses marriage equality, a crowded Harlem bus becomes a battleground when one Black gay passenger refuses to let another man’s homophobia silence his joy.10 minutes · Explore the play →
Production Details
- Presentation
- These four plays are presented together as a single curated theatrical event.
- Format
- Script-in-hand or staged performance, with an optional post-performance discussion.
- What this is
- A non-musical theatrical offering. No band. No tracks. Just actors, text, and story.
- Themes
- Black identity. Queer identity. Masculinity. Faith. Class. Legacy. Community.
- Ideal for
- Colleges, universities, festivals, and organizations seeking bold, socially engaged work.