The Brother/Sister Plays - by Tarell Alvin McCraney (Paperback)

About the Book

A celebrated new playwright's breakthrough trilogy.

Book Synopsis

"McCraney's richly drawn characters and colloquial poetry . . . manages to sound both epic and rooted in a specific place. Listen closely, and you might hear that thrilling sound that is one of the main reasons we go to the theater, that beautiful music of a new voice."--The New York Times

"Taut, expressive drama, The Brothers Size realizes the potential of theater to elevate the ordinary. . . . McCraney's writing can be arresting."--Time Out New York

This is the first collection by Tarell Alvin McCraney, a major new playwright of the American theater. Lyrical and mythic, provocative and contemporary, McCraney's dramas of kinship, love, and heartache are set in the bayou of Louisiana and loosely draw on West African myths. In the Red and Brown Water charts the story of Oya, a fast and beautiful track star who must make difficult choices on her journey to womanhood. The Brothers Size dramatizes the struggle between brothers who have taken different paths: Ogun, single-mindedly running his auto shop, and Oshoosi, recently returned from prison and fallen back with trouble. Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet explores a young man's relationship with his history and friends as he discovers his sexuality and true self against the backdrop of an impending storm.

Tarell Alvin McCraney's other works include Wig Out! and The Breach. His plays have been produced at The Public Theater in New York, internationally at the Royal Court Theatre and Abbey Theatre, and throughout the United States.

About the Author

Tarell Alvin McCraney is author of The Brother/Sister Trilogy: The Brothers Size, In the Red and Brown Water, & Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet. His other works include Choir Boy, which enjoyed acclaimed runs in London and New York, Wig Out! set in New York's drag clubs and The Breach which deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He was the first recipient of the New York Times' Outstanding Playwright Award and has also won the 2009 Steinberg Playwrights Award and the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. In 2013 he was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, colloquially known as a "genius grant."