The Bronx is Next
The Bronx is Next is a play by Sonia Sanchez, written and published in 1968.[1] Set in an immediate future where the Revolution has broken out[2] in the slums of New York and residents set their own tenements on fire,[3] the play presents a "portrait of Black people who must face certain truths about themselves in terms of their relationships to each other, to the revolution, and to ‘the others’."[2]
Characters
- Charles – the leader of the revolutionaries
- Old Sister – an old woman who lives in the apartment buildings in Harlem
- Larry – a revolutionary
- Roland - a revolutionary
- Jimmy – a revolutionary
- White Cop – a white cop
- Black Bitch – his mistress[4]
Plot
The play begins at night in a dingy
Performances
The Bronx is Next was performed by Theater Black in October 1970 at the University of the Streets. It was presented as part of a trilogy of new plays by black playwrights; the other plays were Knock, Knock – Who Dat? by Richard Wesley and Death List by Ed Bullins. All three plays were directed by Anadoula.[2]
Political message
The Bronx is Next reflects Sonia Sanchez’s belief that urban cities wiped out generations of blacks.[3] She felt that there was a need for blacks to leave the urban centers and leave "that which is killing them and wiping them out".[12] The literal burning of the decaying buildings in the play is a symbol of people “destroying that which was destroying them."[12]
References
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR: The Drama Review, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), The School of the Arts, New York University, New York, NY, 1968.
- ^ a b c "Black Playwrights Present New Plays." New York Amsterdam News (1962–1993): 20. October 17, 1970. ProQuest. Web. May 28, 2014.
- ^ a b Melhem, D. H. Heroism in the New Black Poetry: Introductions & Interviews. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 1990. Print. p. 161.
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), p. 2.
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), p. 3.
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), p. 4.
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), p. 5.
- ISBN 9780810136953.
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), pp. 6–12.
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), pp. 13–15.
- ^ "Black Revolutionary Theatre", TDR, 12 no. 4:29-124 (1968), pp. 16–18.
- ^ a b Melhem, Heroism in the New Black Poetry, 1990, p. 162.
- Sonia Sanchez, "The Bronx is Next (1968)", in Annemarie Bean (ed.), A Sourcebook of African-American Performance: Plays, People Movements, Routledge, 1999, pp. 46–54.