The America Play
Encyclopedia
The America Play is a two-act play by Suzan-Lori Parks
. It premiered at the Yale Repertory Theater in January 1994 The plot revolves around an unnamed African-American gravedigger
who gains a measure of fame due to his uncanny resemblance to Abraham Lincoln
. His fame comes from an attraction he runs that, for the cost of a penny
, allows customers to take on the role of John Wilkes Booth
and re-enact Lincoln's assassination
. Some consider it difficult to understand because, as with most of Suzan-Lori Parks' writing, it is anything but straightforward.
Suzan-Lori Parks
Suzan-Lori Parks is an African American playwright and screenwriter. She received the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant in 2001, and the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, Topdog/Underdog.-Early years:...
. It premiered at the Yale Repertory Theater in January 1994 The plot revolves around an unnamed African-American gravedigger
Gravedigger
A gravedigger is a cemetery worker responsible for digging graves used in the process of burial.-Fossors:Fossor or Fossarius , from the Latin verb fodere 'to dig', referred to grave diggers in the Roman catacombs in the first three centuries of the Christian Era...
who gains a measure of fame due to his uncanny resemblance to Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. His fame comes from an attraction he runs that, for the cost of a penny
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
, allows customers to take on the role of John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth
John Wilkes Booth was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. Booth was a member of the prominent 19th century Booth theatrical family from Maryland and, by the 1860s, was a well-known actor...
and re-enact Lincoln's assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
. Some consider it difficult to understand because, as with most of Suzan-Lori Parks' writing, it is anything but straightforward.