About the Play:

Detroit '67 has become a favourite of acting teachers for Female Monologues, Male Monologues, Female/Female Scenes, Female/Male Scenes, and Male/Male Scenes.

Detroit '67 is a full-length drama by Dominique Morisseau. The world is shifting for two siblings running an after-hours joint in their basement to make ends meet. But when a mysterious woman finds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than the family business. Detroit '67 is an unflinching look at race relations during the turbulent Civil Rights Movement.

Detroit '67 is set against a backdrop of racial tensions in the Motor City. The 1967 Detroit riot resulted in 43 deaths, nearly 1,200 injuries and 400 destroyed buildings. The confrontations between mostly Black residents and the Detroit police department amounted to the deadliest and most destructive insurgencies in the US since the Civil War (later surpassed by the Los Angeles riots of 1992). With the riots and the incomparable soundtrack of Motown in the background, this thought-provoking masterpiece follows Chelle and her brother Lank. They are hosting after-hours parties in their basement and find conflict as they both have different ideas about what to do with their inheritance. Lank and his friend Sly have dreams beyond the cellar shindigs – despite Chelle's resistance. When Lank then brings home a mysterious white woman, the family's simmering disagreements explode – as their streets erupt in riots – and life becomes a lot more dangerous.

Detroit '67 premiered in 2013 at the Public Theater in association with Classical Theatre of Harlem and the National Black Theatre off-Broadway in New York City. It won Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, one of the largest prizes given for dramatic writing. The play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and is regularly performed in regional, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 2 female, 2 male

What people say:

"Must-see theater... Detroit '67 effectively captures a community coming to grips with its history and its future." — Detroit Free Press

"Crackling with humor! Fire up some Motown, get those hips moving and everything will work out fine." — The New York Times

"If Detroit '67's sequels prove as good as it does, the search for the next Wilson or Hansberry could nearly be over." — Talkin' Broadway

"The jury was completely drawn into the world of Detroit '67, whose compelling characters struggle with racial tension and economic instability. ...Detroit '67 is a work grounded in historical understanding that also comments meaningfully on the pressing issues of our day." — Jury for the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History

"Unquestionably a strong, formidable work...Theatregoers won't want to miss." — Huffington Post

About the Playwright:

Dominique Morisseau is an African-American author, playwright, and screenwriter. She is perhaps best known as a writer for the comedy-drama Shameless on Showtime and as the author of The Detroit Project, a three-play cycle that includes Detroit '67, Paradise Blue, and Skeleton Crew.