Outdoor theatre returns to Poplar Forest with the premiere performance of local African-American playwright Teresa Harris’s Poplar Forest Trilogy—three original stories focused on individual members of the enslaved community at Poplar Forest and the events that shaped their lives.

The three stories are drawn from the real-life experiences of Hannah and her son Billy, who pushed back against the system of enslavement; Burwell Colbert, Jefferson’s trusted manservant; and Abby and Edy, close friends who were separated when Abby was sold to a nearby plantation. Each short play takes place in a different location around the villa.

The production will be followed by a Q&A session with the playwright, actors and representatives from the Poplar Forest Department of Archaeology and Landscapes.

Tickets are $15.00 and can be purchased at the Museum Shop prior to the performance. Or contact the Museum Shop at 434.534.8120 for more information. In the event of inclement weather, the play will be rescheduled to Sunday, May 21st at 6:30.

Bundle Add-ON: The Slave Dwelling Project Overnight Experience

Following the Q&A session, an overnight event will be hosted by The Slave Dwelling Project, an organization dedicated to the preservation of extant slave dwelling sites and the history of the people who inhabited them. Participants will gather by the fire at the quarter site for a discussion about The Slave Dwelling Project, Poplar Forest’s slave dwellings and the future of interpreting the stories of an enslaved people. Guests will then retire to assigned sleeping areas on the lower level, in the kitchen and spinning room in the Wing of Offices, or at the quarter site. Guests are responsible for bringing their own sleeping bags, mats, pillows and tents (if outdoor sleeping is desired).

The fee for participation in the overnight experience is $30.00, which also includes admission to the Friday evening performance of “The Day is Past and Gone,” admission to “Inalienable Rights: Living History Through the Eyes of the Enslaved” on Saturday, and an evening snack and light breakfast. For more information or to make reservations for the overnight experience, contact the Museum Shop at 434.534.8120.