Jeremy O. Harris

Headshot of Jeremy O. Harris Taken by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

Biography

Jeremy O. Harris is an actor, and playwright, who began his professional career whilst pursuing a graduate degree in playwriting. His works include Slave Play, “Daddy”: A Melodrama, Insignificant White Boys, Black Exhibition, and Yell: A Documentary of My Time Here. O. Harris had studied at DePaul University in 2009 for Bachelor of Arts in Acting before he was cut from the program a year later. He then went on to complete a Master of Fine Arts in playwrighting at the Yale School of Drama in 2016. Harris’ work has been developed and produced most notably at the Vineyard Theatre, Penumbra Theatre Company, Almeida Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, and John Golden Theatre on Broadway. His awards include the Vogel Playwrighting Award (2018), the Lotos Foundation Prize (2018), the Rosa Parks Playwriting Award (2018), and the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award (2018).

Career Highlight

Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play received 12 nominations at the 74th Annual Tony Awards, setting a new record.

Slave Play

  • Genre: Drama
  • Breakdown:
    • 2M Black, 2W Black, 2M White, 2W White
  • Synopsis:
    • To find a resolution for recently unearthed impotence in the bedroom, three different interracial couples take part of a program called Antebellum Sex Therapy. Led by two psychologists, Tea and Patricia, the couples embark on reenactments of antebellum life at MacGregor Plantation, a few miles south of Richmond, Virginia. On this farmland, these couples act out sexual scenarios whilst having to give the best performance of their assigned roles of master and slave. Through their therapy, the couples uncover their own race-based trauma, prejudices, and conflicts with their partners that have gone previously unresolved.
  • Development/Production History:
    • This play was originally developed in O. Harris’ first year while studying at Yale for his MFA degree. It was first presented at the annual Langston Hughes Festival at the Yale School of Drama in YEAR. The play was later produced at the New York Theatre Workshop in the 2018-2019 season before premiering at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway in October of 2019. While on Broadway for 17-weeks, producers offer $39 tickets to create greater access to the production.
  • Photos:
Philp (Sullivan Jones) and Alana (Annie McNamara) in Slave Play at New York Theater Workshop. Taken by Joan Marcus
Dustin (James-Moyer) and Gary (Ato Blankson-Wood) in Slave Play at New York Theater Workshop. Taken by Joan Marcus
Kaneisha (Joaquina Kalukango) and Jim (Paul Alexander Nolan) in Slave Play at New York Theater Workshop. Taken by Joan Marcus

Daddy

  • Genre: Dramedy
  • Breakdown:
    • 1M Black, 2M White, 1W Asian, 1W any race, Gospel Choir of unspecified size with no specified race or ethnicity.
  • Synopsis:
    • After a night of artistry and debauchery, Franklin, a sculpture artist in Los Angeles, California, finds himself in a peculiar relationship with Andre, an incredibly wealthy art collector. After moving in almost immediately with Andre, Franklin lives a lavish lifestyle. Meanwhile his friends, Max and Belamy, peruse Andre’s abode, taking part in the excess wealth and giving commentary and banter regarding his new lifestyle. When Franklin’s mother, Zora, comes to town for one of Franklin’s sculpture exhibit presentations, she goes out of her way to cast judgment on him and his newfound lover, all whilst citing her spiritual intuition regarding her discomfort with the relationship.
  • Development/Production History:
    • This play originally served as O. Harris’ writing sample that got him into the Yale School of Drama for his Masters of Fine Arts in Playwriting. It was then revised in 2020 and featured at Vineyard Theater and Almeida Theatre.
  • Photos:
Cast of “Daddy”. Taken by Matt Saunders
Andre (Alan Cumming), Belamy (Kahyun Kim) and Max (Tommy Dorfman) in “Daddy”. Taken by Monique Carboni
Belamy (Kahyun Kim), Zora (Charlayne Woodard), Franklin (ronald Peet), Andre (Alan Cumming), and Max (Tommy Dorfman) in the pool in “Daddy”. Taken by Sara Krulwich
  • Plays
    • Xander Xyst, Dragon 1 (2017)
    • Slave Play (2018)
    • “Daddy”: A Melodrama (2016, revised 2019)
    • Water Sports; or, Insignificant White Boys (2019)
    • Black Exhibition (2019)
    • Yell: A Documentary of My Time Here (revised 2020)

Reflection on Contribution to Anti-Racist Theatre

Jeremy O. Harris is an incredible example of an anti-racist playwright because of his clear and unapologetic vision to expose racialized scenarios in the world that audiences do not typically witness. Harris is willing to go to dramatic extremes to prove his points, often using unusual scenarios centered on sexuality and wealth to illustrate the dynamics of power and inequality. Furthermore, his plays normalize and represent LGBT identifying characters including LGBT folk of color. Although he has won numerous awards, he remains humble, emphasizing the need to address current racial reckoning in the theater world. On numerous occasions, he has urged people to donate to theaters across America, especially those that are doing anti-racist works. He always puts a special emphasis on the idea that theater can change the hearts and minds of audiences and that the only way to change the way a populus thinks is to get them engaged in the performing arts through spectatorship.

Compiled by William Ventura-Chavez, Visual Communication Design (BFA) and Film, Television and Theater (BA), Class of 2023