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The four-character story, which opens on Sunday
for a limited engagement, is set in a Florida police station
where a mother and father are seeking information about their
missing son.
The 90-minute production was written by Christopher Demos-Brown,
who works as a trial attorney in Southern Florida. Brown said he
used that experience to help shape the story, but said the
emotional impetus was police shootings of African-Americans.
"I wrote it around the time of the Tamir Rice incident and the
Eric Garner incident. Those - the Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and
Philando Castile incident - really, kind of were the ones that
were in the back of my mind" and are mentioned in the play,
Demos-Brown said in an interview.
Cast members said they hope "American Son" sparks meaningful
conversations about race, identity and love.
"I think it gives you a lot of perspectives," Washington said.
"One of my hopes is that when people leave the theater, not only
that they're talking about the play with each other, but that
they find themselves walking in somebody else's shoes."
Washington previously appeared on Broadway in 2009 in the David
Mamet play "Race." She starred in "Scandal" on the ABC broadcast
network for seven seasons as political fixer Olivia Pope. The
show ended its run in April.
(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Writing by Lisa Richwine; Editing
by Leslie Adler)
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