On February 16th, I saw Nat Turner in Jersusalem at Hiberian Hall in Roxbury, MA, presented by the Actor’s Shakespeare Project. Written by Nathan Alan Davis and directed by Benny Sato Ambush, the play tells the story of Nat Turner’s final night in prison before execution. Played by Brandon G. Green, Turner passes the night being alternatively questioned by lawyer Thomas Gray and talking with the prison guard, both played by Lewis D. Wheeler. Based partially, on Thomas Gray’s The Confessions of Nat Turner, the Leader of the Late Insurrection in Southhampton, VA, the play consists only of one on one conversation between Turner and Gray or Turner and the Guard. Additionally, the stage is in the round, presented as Turner’s jail cell. I intend to focus on this staging and how it traps Turner and puts him on display. Similarly, the use of light, from the beginning sunset to the closing sunrise, emphasizes the precariousness of Turner’s situation. Ultimately, both performance elements make the play about the liminality of Turner’s situation.
The theater in the round, portrayed as Turner’s jail cell, functions as a vital performance element. When the audience enters the theater in Hiberian Hall, Green is already on stage, in character as Turner. He spends the entire pre-show waiting period waiting by himself, alternatively sitting down or wandering around his cell. Each audience member has a clear view of Turner; with the arena style stage, he cannot hide anywhere. The jail cell bars, of varying lengths, work to both literally set Turner in jail, but also to emphasize his predicament. The varying lengths of cell bars make it even easier for audiences to see into the cell. The set not only imprisons Turner but also puts him up for display, for the audience’s consumption. In a way, the set functions like Turner’s own “box”. Like with Henry Box Brown, it both literally traps him and keeps him safe—in Brown’s case from slave catchers and Turner’s case the mobs of people waiting to see him die. However, the “box” concept also allows Brown and Turner to negotiate some measure of freedom. Turner may have chains on, but for most of the play, they are not attached to any part of the cell. And, at a pivotal moment, he literally breaks the chains. Even with constraints, Turner finds some measure of power.
The lighting of the play in particular demonstrates the liminality of Turner’s situation. The play starts with a sunset, the final sunset of Turner’s life. And, since his only window faces west, he notes he will never see another sunrise. The majority of the play takes place in shadowy half light, with the added light of lantern occasionally. These shadows characterize the majority of the play, giving Turner and Gray the cover of darkness for their conversation. The light from the lantern flickers on, illuminating their expressions. When Gray leaves, he takes the light with him, leaving Turner in only dark blue light. However, at the end, the sun inexplicably rises in the West, bating Turner in bright sunlight. He looks into the light, embracing it, until he’s suddenly plunged into darkness. The light bookends the play and emphasize the liminality of Turner’s situation. His situation is untenable and about to undeniably end. Therefore, this night—and by extension this play—takes place in a liminal space. Turner’s not dead yet, but he’s not quite alive. He and Gray, as well as he and the guard can have conversations and interactions that more defined spaces or situations would not allow. The liminality both empowers Turner—allowing him to speak freely to two white men—and limits him—as he can only do this because of his imminent death.
Just as Henry Box Brown’s box was a liminal space, so was Nat Turner’s jail cell. These constraints allow things to happen that otherwise never would have. Just as Miley Cyrus used blackface as a stage on the journey from childhood to adulthood, Turner uses the cell as his own stage. He may be leaving this earth, but before he goes he will impart his beliefs to Gray. Turner tells him, “You are savages. Your deeds are the deeds of savages.” His delivery may be performative, another effect of the box-like setting, but he believes his message. In this case, the liminality empowers Turner.
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