About the Show

The politics of "passing" in post-war Louisiana come to life through the story of a young man who could be held back by hate, but is led forward by love.

Inspired by the playwright's actual family history, 'One Drop' tells the story of a family torn apart by racism but ultimately reunited. Born out of wedlock to a white woman and a Black man in 1876, the play's central character, Charley Cade, is exiled from his biological mother's plantation home before he was even born. Raised by an adoptive Black mother, adolescent Charley inherits the task of "passing" for white because of his light skin. But to whom is Charley loyal? His adoptive mother, LaTessa, who withheld knowledge of Charley's biological past for his life's sake, and who represents to him the Black community that nurtured him? Or to his white peers, to whom "one drop" of non-white blood is enough to justify murdering him?

Critic Reviews (1)

"The play is structured like an epic folk tale and enriched with original music...Fulton brings to the stage several familiar tropes from 19th century Southern plantation life—some a bit too romantic, some with a 20th century perspective...Within those tropes, however, Ms. Fulton embeds the American racial malaise at the core of its racially mixed history. This is what drives the dramatic energy of the play...Come to the play and you will clap to a hopeful vision."
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Trailer

Creative team