every tongue confess
by Marcus Gardley
directed by Kenny Leon
originally produced at Arena Stage,
Washington, DC.
November 9, 2010
through January 2, 2011
In the backwater town of Boligee, Alabama, the summer heat is rising higher, driving the townsfolk to distraction and conjuring the spirits of the past to walk the earth. Wrapped in the combustible music of a Deep South juke joint and the sweat-soaked gospel of a revivalist church tent, intergenerational stories of loss and redemption collide. Playwright Gardley blends ancient myth with magical realism, Biblical allegory with the local TV news to create a fiery theatrical furnace in which some will be saved, some will be purged and the truth cannot escape.
From Artistic Director Molly Smith:
Marcus Gardley is one of America's most promising young playwrights; he is a poet with a deep understanding of language and storytelling. every tongue confess, commissioned by Arena Stage, is no exception – Marcus has created a powerful new play.
”We are thrilled that the world premiere of every tongue confess will be the inaugural show in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle; this 200-seat theater is dedicated to the development of new American work. The synergy of this play, and this space, is sure to excite audiences.
We are very grateful to be a recipient of the Edgerton Foundation Award. The grant money will be put to good use in adding valuable rehearsal time for director Kenny Leon and his creative team to focus their considerable talents on the world premiere of Marcus’s wonderful new play every tongue confess. We want this important new play to enter with confidence to the ever-expanding canon of American voices. The Edgerton Foundation Award buys us just that much more confidence. - Managing Director Edgar Dobie
Director: Kenny Leon