Le Code Noir
June 18, 2019
5:30–7 p.m.
THNOC Courtyard at 520 Royal Street
Admission is free, and registration is required.
Register now!

June 6, 2019, marks the 300th anniversary of the first slave ships arriving in Louisiana. The Historic New Orleans Collection and Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre Company, Inc., will commemorate the occasion with an abridged performance of the historical yet-to-be released drama "Le Code Noir."

Written and conceived by Tommye Myrick and the late Mark R. Sumner, "Le Code Noir" explores the history of Louisiana through the eyes of Santee, an enslaved woman living in New Orleans in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Santee arrives in New Orleans via Saint-Domingue, is sold to Jean Lafitte’s privateers, and experiences major events in America, such as the Spanish cession of Louisiana to France, the Louisiana Purchase, the 1811 German Coast uprising, and the Battle of New Orleans. The title of the piece, “Le Code Noir,” is drawn from the King Louis XIV’s edict of 1685 governing the relationships between enslaved Africans and white colonists in French territories.

Voices in the Dark has scheduled the world premiere of the full production of “Le Code Noir” for next year in commemoration of Juneteenth (June 19, 2020). This 40-minute outdoor preview will take place in the courtyard of THNOC's new exhibition center at 520 Royal Street. Admission is free, and registration is required. A reception will follow the performance. 

 

Image courtesy of Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre Company, Inc.