In the Blood

By Suzan-Lori Parks

In this modern day riff on The Scarlet Letter, Hester La Negrita, a homeless mother of five, lives with her kids on the tough streets of the inner city. Her eldest child is teaching her how to read and write, but the letter “A” is, so far, the only letter she knows. Her five kids are named Jabber, Bully, Trouble, Beauty and Baby, and the characters are played by adult actors who double as five other people in Hester’s life: her ex-boyfriend, her social worker, her doctor, her best friend and her minister. While Hester’s kids fill her life with joy—lovingly comical moments amid the harsh world of poverty—the adults with whom she comes into contact only hold her back. Nothing can stop the play’s tragic end.

About Playwright(s)

Country of publication

Cast Information

Cultural background of characters

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Total number of characters

Minimum number of actors

Female roles

Male roles

Transgender roles

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Non-Binary Gender Non-Conforming roles

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Gender unespecified roles

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Age of characters

Actor-Friendly Parts

Monologue level

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Monologue details

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Scene level

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Scene details

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Production and Publication

First produced

1999, The Public Theatre, New York

Publication year

2000

Published by

Dramatist's Play Service, Inc.

ISBN

978-0-8222-1756-5

The first of the Red Letter Plays

The first of the Red Letter Plays

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