The Convert
By Danai Gurira
Directed by Emily Mann
Originally produced at McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton, NJ.
January 13, 2012 through February 12, 2012
About the Premiere Production: It’s 1895 in the region that would become Zimbabwe. Jekesai, a young village girl, escapes a forced marriage by becoming the newest convert of a well-meaning black catechist for the Catholic Church. When a civil uprising against colonial white rule disrupts their lessons, the girl and her teacher must find their place in a new world order that threatens their heritage, history, and faith. Prodigiously talented playwright Danai Gurira (Eclipsed and In the Continuum) has written an unflinching, startling, and compelling new play, filled with humor and compassion.
Director: Emily Mann
Set Design: Daniel Ostling
Lighting Design: Lap Chi Chu
Sound Design: Darron L West
Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
Dialect Coach: Beth McGuire
Subsequent Productions: Produced in association with Center Theatre Group and the Goodman Theatre
News
McCarter’s Emily Mann Wins 2012 La Ovation Award for Best Director
Planet Princeton
November 13, 2012
"The Convert" by Danai Gurira
State of the Arts, New Jersey
October 24, 2012
Center Theatre Group leads Ovation Awards nominations
Los Angeles Times
September 11, 2012
The Convert, a CurtainUp Review
CurtainUp
January 20, 2012
The Convert
TheaterMania.com
January 23, 2012
The Convert at McCarter Theater
Princeton Found
January 24, 2012
Review: The Convert at McCarter Theater
Princeton Patch
January 24, 2012
Review: The Convert at Princeton's McCarter Center
Examiner
January 30, 2012
Colonial History, Through The Eyes Of The Colonized
National Public Radio
February 10, 2012
Subsequent Productions:
Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, CA April 17, 2012 - May 13, 2012 (Co-production with McCarter Theatre and Goodman Theatre)
Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, CA February 19, 2015 - March 15, 2015
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co in Washington, DC February 11, 2013 - March 10, 2013
Goodman Theatre in Chicago, IL February 25, 2012 - March 25, 2012 (Co-production with McCarter Theatre and Center Theatre Group)
Central Square Theater in Cambridge, MA January 28, 2016 - February 28, 2016 (Co-production with Underground Railway Theater)
The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, PA October 9, 2013 - November 10, 2013