Shadow/Land


By Erika Dickerson-Despenza
Originally produced at The Public Theater, New York, NY
April 20 - May 21, 2023

Synopsis: Premiering as an audio play at The Public, 2021 Susan Blackburn Prize winner Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s SHADOW/LAND returns in Spring 2023 with a stunning live production.

Magalee and her daughter Ruth are faced with the question of legacy when Ruth coaxes Magalee to sell their historic family-owned business as Hurricane Katrina begins her ruin. 

Directed by Lilly Award winner Candis C. Jones, SHADOW/LAND is the first installment of a 10-play cycle traversing the Katrina diaspora in an examination of the ongoing effects of disaster, evacuation, displacement, and urban renewal rippling in and beyond New Orleans.


Artistic Statement: SHADOW/LAND is the newest play by one of the most exciting new playwrights of our time, Erika Dickerson-Despenza. It is the latest installment in her ambitious play cycle about environmental racism, which tackles two of our greatest issues: the deteriorating environment around us and the continuing impact of the legacy of slavery. Her first play in the cycle, CULLUD WATTAH, dealt with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan; SHADOW/LAND takes place in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. It is a bold, searing and powerful play; Erika's aim is enormously ambitious, but she has the talent to back it up. - Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director

Grant Statement
: The Edgerton Foundation’s generous support will enable The Public to augment the SHADOW/LAND rehearsal schedule, allowing the cast to have more time with the full creative team before the production begins performances. This longer rehearsal period will provide crucial time for the creative team and cast to work through the play’s many technical complexities and water effects.

Writer Erika Dickerson-Despenza
Director Candis C. Jones