Welcome to American Blues Theater. We asked Ensemble member and legend Chuck Smith if he could direct any play at this time – what would it be? With no hesitation – he responded this script. We’re sure his long-standing relationship with playwright Charles Smith led to the permission granted to a theater of our size. We’re honored to present the Chicago premiere of Charles Smith’s poignant play The Reclamation of Madison Hemings.
Charles Smith and Chuck Smith’s work speaks for itself. They have called on the ancestors; everyone will bear witness. The performances by Jon Hudson Odom and Manny Buckley will stay with you long after you leave the theater.
We, the audience, have been given a staggering gift in this piece.
There is beautiful, heartbreaking, and heart-making truth on this stage.
The way forward is to acknowledge, to name.
-Gwendolyn Whiteside