About The Play
powerful storytelling reveals "Freedom ain't free!"
The House that Will Not Stand is set in New Orleans in the early 1800s. Written by Marcus Gardley, it tells the story of Beartrice, a free woman of color, managing her three headstrong daughters after the death of her wealthy lover. But as she takes her place as head of the household, a more ominous transfer of power is transpiring. The French-owned Louisiana Territory transitions to American rule, threatening the liberty of every Creole resident. Beatrice and her daughter navigate the complexities of race, power, and desire in a society where freedom ain't free.
Plowshares Theatre Company, Michigan’s only professional African American theatre, is proud to present the Detroit premiere of this emotionally engaging play. Running at the Carr Center May 16 - June 16. Tickets on sale now.
About The Playwright
Marcus Gardley, born and raised in Oakland, California, is an acclaimed poet, playwright, and screenwriter whom The New Yorker describes as “the heir to Garcia Lorca, Pirandello and Tennessee Williams.” His plays include The House that will not Stand, which had its world premiere at Yale Rep in 2014, and for which he received the 2018 AUDELCO Award and the 2019 OBIE Award; X: Or, Betty Shabazz V. the Nation; black odyssey (2023 Drama Desk nomination); The Gospel of Loving Kindness; Every Tongue Confess; On the Levee, music and lyrics by Todd Almond (commissioned by Yale Rep); …and Jesus moonwalks the Mississippi; The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry; and Dance of the Holy Ghosts (Yale Rep world premiere, 2006). He is the recipient of the 2019 Doris Duke Artist Award, the 2015 Glickman Award, the PEN/Laura Pels Award, a Kesselring Honor, and he is a two-time finalist for Kennedy Prize in 2015 and 2016.
Marcus’s work for television includes Maid (Netflix), for which he won the 2022 Writers Guild of America Award for best adapted longform series; Boots Riley’s I’m a Virgo (Amazon); The Chi (Showtime); Foundation (Apple TV+); NOS4A2 (AMC); Tales of the City (Netflix); and Mindhunter (Netflix).
His screen adaptation of the musical The Color Purple was released in theaters on Christmas day; and What’s Going On, his Marvin Gaye biopic, produced by Dr. Dre, is in pre-production at Warner Brothers with director Allen Hughes. He has also written a musical about Jean-Michel Basquiat with music composed by Jon Batiste and a biopic about James Baldwin with Janelle Monae attached to star.
Currently, Gardley is Co-Chair of Playwright for the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.
Tickets & Info
The Detroit premiere production of The House that Will Not Stand will be presented at The Carr Center Performance Studio, 15 East Kirby Street, Detroit MI.
Performances will run from May 16 through June 16.
Tickets are on sale now. Call 313-744-3181 for more information.