10 April - 26 April, 2026
Director: Leslie M. Scott Jones
In 2006, a Black high school student in Jena, Louisiana, reportedly sat under a tree where only White students congregated. Three nooses appeared, hung from the tree, provoking a schoolyard fight. A White student was injured and six Black teenagers were charged with attempted murder; those responsible for the nooses got a three-day suspension. Based on the case of the Jena Six, Morisseau’s potent and timely ensemble drama BLOOD AT THE ROOT calls out racial double standards and bigotry, harsh injustices, and the shattering impact on Black lives.
“Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root …”
Excerpt of lyrics from the song “Strange Fruit” by Abel Meeropol
FOUNDERS THEATER
APRIL 10-26
