The Guthrie Theater, in association with The Public Theater, presents

Sally & Tom

by SUZAN-LORI PARKS
directed by STEVE H. BROADNAX III
McGuire Proscenium Stage

A groundbreaking world premiere

After spending three years in Paris, founding father Thomas Jefferson returns to his Monticello plantation in rural Virginia where the complexities of his relationship with Sally Hemings, the teenage sister of his enslaved valet and chef, begin to unfold. Monticello is not Paris, and everything — yet nothing — feels the same. In this clever collision of American history and theater, acclaimed playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks spotlights the unexpected parallels between 1790 and today while taking the audience on a journey through the past that inevitably catches up with the present.

Three things to know

  • Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most acclaimed playwrights in American theater today. Named among Time magazine’s 100 Innovators for the Next Wave, she is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, she is a MacArthur Genius Award recipient and she was awarded the prestigious Gish Prize for excellence in the arts. 
  • A revival of Parks’ award-winning masterpiece Topdog/Underdog is slated to open on Broadway in October 2022. Her new work Plays for the Plague Year will receive its world premiere at The Public Theater in New York City this fall.
  • In November 2022, Parks will be inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame.

Ticket prices

Prices range from $20 to $79.

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Group sales

All student and adult groups of 15 or more qualify for discounts on tickets to Guthrie productions.

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Venue info

Sally & Tom will take place on the McGuire Proscenium Stage.

Pro tip: Can't do stairs or have a special seating request? Call the Box Office for details. 

Health and safety

As COVID-19 prevention efforts continue to evolve, we are adjusting our health and safety policies as needed. Effective immediately, masks are required for all Sunday performances. Masks are encouraged but not required for all Tuesday – Saturday performances. Proof of vaccination is not required to see a performance at the Guthrie.

Run time

Approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes (including intermission)

Accessibility

ASL-interpreted, audio-described and open-captioned performances are available on select dates.

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Post-play discussions

Join us after select performances for a 20-minute conversation featuring experts on topics covered within the play. Cast members may join the discussion as they are able.

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Content advisory

This production contains mature language and themes. See below or call the Box Office for more information.

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Play guide and program

Want to dig deeper into this story? Download the play guide or digital program.

A word from Suzan-Lori Parks

“I’m embracing two institutions I hold dear — America and theater — and putting them together in an incisive and joyous atomic super-collider. We come to know the ways in which Sally Hemings and her other Black family members navigated the harsh truths of 1790 as well as the ways we are still navigating some of those truths today. We also come to understand how the white Jefferson family embraced some of the less-than-noble truths on which the founding fathers built America.”

Artists

Cast

Kristen Ariza

Luce/Sally

Amari Cheatom

Kwame/James

Sun Mee Chomet

Scout/Polly

Gillian Glasco

Maggie/Mary

Kadeem Ali Harris

Devon/Nathan

Kate Nowlin

Ginger/Patsy

Daniel Petzold

Geoff/Cooper/Carey/Tobias

Luke Robertson

Mike/Tom

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Creative Team

Suzan-Lori Parks

Playwright

Steve H. Broadnax III

Director

Riccardo Hernández

Scenic Designer

Emilio Sosa

Costume Designer

Alan C. Edwards

Lighting Designer

Curtis Craig

Sound Designer

Carla Steen

Resident Dramaturg

Keely Wolter

Vocal Coach

Maija García

Movement Director

Mike Rossmy

Fight Director

Karl Alphonso

Stage Manager

Olivia Louise Tree Plath

Assistant Stage Manager

Daniel Petzold

Dance Captain

Jennifer Liestman

Resident Casting Director

Kelsey Rainwater

Intimacy

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In the news

Suzan-Lori Parks Is on Broadway, Off Broadway and Everywhere Else

The first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in drama has four shows this season. “If you can hear the world singing, it’s your job to write it down,” she said. 

Read On

Review

Pioneer Press calls Sally & Tom an "insightful examination of history, race and power."

Read on 

Videos

Stage Craft with Suzan-Lori Parks

Having a living (and Pulitzer Prize-winning) playwright among us this fall was a gift. Suzan-Lori Parks took a break during rehearsals for her new play Sally & Tom to share the historical spark behind this story — and why it matters to us today.

Teaser

Catch a sneak peek of this groundbreaking world premiere from Suzan-Lori Parks. 

Photos

THE CAST OF SALLY & TOM (DAN NORMAN)

KRISTEN ARIZA AND GILLIAN GLASCO (DAN NORMAN)

AMARI CHEATOM (KWAME/JAMES) AND KRISTEN ARIZA (LUCE/SALLY). (DAN NORMAN)

KRISTEN ARIZA (LUCE/SALLY) AND LUKE ROBERTSON (MIKE/TOM). (DAN NORMAN)

KADEEM ALI HARRIS (DEVON/NATHAN) AND DANIEL PETZOLD (GEOFF/COOPER/CAREY/TOBIAS). (DAN NORMAN)

THE CAST OF SALLY & TOM. (DAN NORMAN)

THE CAST OF SALLY & TOM (DAN NORMAN)

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