Mengwe Wapimewah Gives a Broadway-Caliber
Performance in Dominique Morisseau's
Confederates at PlayMakers Rep

Mengwe Wapimewah (left) and Kathryn Hunter-Williams star as Sara and Sandra (photo by HuthPhoto)

PlayMakers Repertory Company's production of Tony Award®-nominated playwright and 2018 MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow Dominique Morisseau's Confederates, directed by Christopher Windom and being performed in the Paul Green Theatre on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, takes a daring, nuanced approach to themes of race, privilege, and historical memory.

Set in two distinct periods -- during the American Civil War and in the modern day -- Confederates moves seamlessly between a one-room slave cabin on a Confederate plantation and a prestigious university professor's office in the current world. What could easily become preachy or overly sentimental instead feels strikingly personal and intimate, thanks to Morisseau's sharp, frank dialogue and the actors' fierce performances.

Kathryn Hunter-Williams stars as Sandra in PlayMakers Rep's March 5-23 presentation of Confederates (photo by HuthPhoto)

The play opens with an empty stage -- a warm wooden floor and backdrop -- and a projection of Abraham Lincoln's letter affirming the irrevocability of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Sandra, a prominent Black political science professor played by Kathryn Hunter-Williams, walks onto the stage as if she is giving a lecture to the audience; and the stark projection of Lincoln's letter is replaced by an image of a Black woman breastfeeding a white child. The woman's face transitions into Sandra's own, and the audience learns that this altered image has been posted on the door to Sandra's office.

PlayMakers Rep's March 5-23 production of Dominique Morisseau's Confederates stars Mengwe Wapimewah as Sara (photo by HuthPhoto)

Sandra disappears backstage, and the audience is transported to the one-room cabin of Sara, a cotton-picking plantation slave played by Mengwe Wapimewah. Sara is stitching up her brother Abner (Kristofer Wilson), who has escaped and joined the Union Army and visits her secretly. As they discuss the Civil War and the freedom that it promises, Sara's poignant, humorous lines and natural charisma immediately establish her as a character who can transcend the limitations of her circumstances.

As the play shifts back and forth between Sara's world and Sandra's present-day office, playwright Dominique Morisseau invites us to consider the similarities between the systemic oppressions faced by both women, despite the centuries between them.

Tia James stars as LuAnne in PlayMakers Rep's March 5-23 production of Dominique Morisseau's Confederates (photo by HuthPhoto)

In Sandra's office, we meet Malik (also played by Kristofer Wilson), a Black male student who objects to his harsh grading, compared with what he sees as Sandra's more lenient treatment of her white students.

Back on the plantation, Missy Sue (Elizabeth Dye), the plantation owner's daughter who was "best friends" with Sara throughout her childhood, has returned to rekindle their relationship. Missy Sue asks Sara to spy on her father, who is involved with the Confederate Army, and to send information via Abner to the Union Army. In parallel, Dye also plays Candice, Sandra's white assistant who personifies the woke, well-meaning, often foot-in-mouth privileged white side of society's systemic racism.

While cleaning in the big house, Sara is forced to confront LuAnne (Tia James), a beautiful house slave who is close to the plantation owner and has enjoyed privileges that Sara cannot access. The exchange between the two women, filled with distrust, hurt, and yearning for kinship, is mirrored in the present-day Sandra's conversations with Jade (also played by Tia James), a more nurturing, less well-known professorial colleague who is seeking Sandra's support for tenure. The characters' parallel struggles serve as powerful commentary on the past and current challenges of interracial relationships.

Dominique Morisseau's Confederates stars Elizabeth Dye (left) as Missy Sue and Mengwe Wapimewah as Sara (photo by HuthPhoto)

I am not blowing smoke when I say that ALL of the actors in this production are incredible. They feel their roles in a personal way that makes the audience feel them as well.

Elizabeth Dye is both comically exaggerated and poignantly serious in her dual portrayal of Missy Sue and Candice, comically capturing the awkwardness and privilege inherent in each role.

Tia James' portrayals of both LuAnne and Jade exude confidence and intelligence, while also revealing the characters' vulnerability and desire for solidarity.

Kristofer Wilson makes the characters of Abner and Malik relatable and empathetic in both the historical and modern settings.

And then there is Kathryn Hunter-Williams, who may deliver the finest performance of her 26-season career as Sandra. Her portrayal of the conflicted, ambitious professor is a tour de force, navigating the complexity of her character's frustrations, intellect, humanity, and deliberate self-control.

Tia James stars as Jade in PlayMakers Rep's March 5-23 production of Dominique Morisseau's Confederates (photo by HuthPhoto)

But the standout performance belongs to Mengwe Wapimewah as Sara. Her poignant and humorously defiant delivery of Sara's lines -- not to mention her pronounced yet credible facial expressions -- cements her as the emotional heart of the play. Wapimewah's ability to make Sara both a symbol of historical suffering and a fully realized, relatable human being is truly impressive.

Dominique Morisseau's Confederates', which extended its one-month 2022 Off-Broadway premiere from March 8th until April 24th, proves that it deserves national recognition. The play is a masterful blend of historical depth and contemporary relevance that highlights ongoing struggles for justice and equality that are just as pertinent today as they were 150 years ago. If this production embarks on a national tour, it would be a privilege to see Mengwe Wapimewah bring Sara to life again.

Dominique Morisseau's Confederates stars Kathryn Hunter-Williams as Sandra and Kristofer Wilson as Malik (photo by HuthPhoto)

Dominique Morisseau's CONFEDERATES (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 12-16 and 19-23), directed by Christopher Windom and starring Kathryn Hunter-Williams as Sandra, Mengwe Wapimewah as Sara, Kristofer Wilson as Abner/Malik, Elizabeth Dye as Missy Sue/Candice, and Tia James as LuAnne/Jade (PlayMakers Repertory Company in the Paul Green Theatre in UNC-Chapel Hill's Joan H. Gillings Center for Dramatic Art). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://playmakersrep.org/playbill-for-confederates/. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2TP9jSUW0w. PRESENTER: https://playmakersrep.org/, https://www.facebook.com/playmakersrep, https://www.instagram.com/playmakersrep/, https://twitter.com/playmakersrep https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayMakers_Repertory_Company, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO7crv41zzCYf9HxRDUEVdw. 2024-25 SEASON: https://playmakersrep.org/season/2024-2025/. PRC BLOG: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/our-blog/. VENUE: https://playmakersrep.org/about-us/paul-green-theatre/ and https://museum.unc.edu/exhibits/show/names/paul-green-theatre. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://playmakersrep.org/visitor-info/directions-and-parking/. CONFEDERATES (2022 Oregon Shakespeare Festival and 2022 Off-Broadway drama): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/95024/confederates, https://www.osfashland.org/en/productions/2022-plays/confederates.aspx, and http://www.iobdb.com/Production/6968. DOMINIQUE MORISSEAU (Detroit, MI-born actress, playwright, screenwriter, and 2018 MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/100903/dominique-morisseau, https://playmakersrep.org/artists/dominique-morisseau/, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/42109, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/dominique-morisseau-520005, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5012077/, https://www.instagram.com/domorisseau/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominique_Morisseau. NOTE 1: Seed Art Share of Raleigh will provide childcare during the 2 p.m. Sunday, March 9th, performance. Click here to buy a $25 Share-the-Show ticket for each child. NOTE 2: The 2 p.m. Sunday, March 16th, show will be an open-captioned performance -- with a "universal-access" live-caption unit, communicating dialog, stage directions, and sound effects -- followed by a post-show discussion. NOTE 3: Arts Access, Inc. of Raleigh will audio-describe and American-sign-language interpret the show's 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 19th, performance. WARNING: PlayMakers Rep cautions, "Please note that this show contains mature language (including racial slurs), discussions about race, and depictions of slavery. This production displays photographic nudity. A prop gun is used on stage." RUN TIME: Run time is approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission. TICKETS: $20 and up ($10 and up youth), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-962-7529 or prcboxoffice@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: PlayMakers Repertory Company.

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