Little Row Boat, or, Conjecture

by Kirsten Greenidge

As the French Revolution brews outside, teenage slave Sally Hemings gets her first taste of freedom while serving in Thomas Jefferson’s Paris home. Inside, she becomes involved in one of the most speculated about and scandalous relationships in American history. With verve, humor, and music, playwright Kirsten Greenidge imagines how events unfolded in the Jefferson household for the family and “servants” alike...

As the French Revolution brews outside, teenage slave Sally Hemings gets her first taste of freedom while serving in Thomas Jefferson’s Paris home. Inside, she becomes involved in one of the most speculated about and scandalous relationships in American history. With verve, humor, and music, playwright Kirsten Greenidge imagines how events unfolded in the Jefferson household for the family and “servants” alike. Little Row Boat is a visceral and intricate story of convictions, contradictions, and sacrifice in the pursuit of liberty.

read more
  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

Little Row Boat, or, Conjecture

Recommended by

  • Palm Beach Dramaworks: Little Row Boat, or, Conjecture by Kirsten Greenidge
    “

    Little Row Boat was one of five finalists that received readings during our annual Perlberg Festival of New Plays (formerly called the New Year/New Plays Festival) in January of 2024. A fascinating, funny, poetic, and highly theatrical exploration of the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his sibling slaves, Sally and James Hemings. Filled with ferocity, sorrow, pain, and beauty, the characters and their struggles - power and personal - come alive amid some truly sublime and harrowing imagery of Greenidge's amazing invention.

    Little Row Boat was one of five finalists that received readings during our annual Perlberg Festival of New Plays (formerly called the New Year/New Plays Festival) in January of 2024. A fascinating, funny, poetic, and highly theatrical exploration of the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his sibling slaves, Sally and James Hemings. Filled with ferocity, sorrow, pain, and beauty, the characters and their struggles - power and personal - come alive amid some truly sublime and harrowing imagery of Greenidge's amazing invention.

    ”

Development History

  • Commission, Yale Repertory Theatre, 2010

Production History

Awards

  • Roe Green New Play Award
    Cleveland Playhouse
    Winner
    2016