Most widely known as a tertiary character in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Tituba was a 17th Century Black woman enslaved by the Reverend Samuel Parris in Salem, Massachusetts. When rumors of witchcraft plagued the town, Tituba was amongst the first to be imprisoned for her involvement in the “Black arts”. Though her influence on the witch trials to follow was substantial, she was mostly forgotten in the historical record and the literary imagination. In THE MASTER’S TOOLS, Tituba speaks, post-Salem. At last an agent in her own myth making, Tituba defies the many masters that have laid claim to her story, centering instead her own subjectivity and violent truth. Deftly weaving humor, terror, and spectacle, Tituba subverts our notions of good and evil, challenging our perception of this canonical character and the canon itself.
In ‘THE MASTER’S TOOLS’, Tituba finally speaks and defies the many masters that have laid claim to her story.
CREDITS
Zora Howard
Writer & Director
Jenn Kidwell
Tituba
Full Creative Team to be announced
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Zora Howard (Writer, Director) is a Harlem-bred writer and director. Plays include HANG TIME (The Flea/National Tour; Creative Capital Finalist), STEW (P73 Productions; Pulitzer Prize Finalist), BUST (The Alliance/Goodman; Susan Smith Blackburn Finalist), THE MASTER’S TOOLS (Wiener Festwochen; Williamstown Theatre Festival), AtGN, and THE MOTIONS. In 2020, her feature film Premature (2020 Film Independent John Cassavetes Award nominee), which she co-wrote with director Rashaad Ernesto Green, opened in theaters following its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Her work has been developed at Cinereach, Ojai Playwrights Conference, New York Theatre Workshop, Second Stage, La Napoule Art Foundation, Stillwright, and Manhattan Theatre Club, among others. Zora is the 2025 Peacedale Kopit Fellow, a former MTC Judith Champion and Lark Van Lier New Voices Fellow, a Lilly Award and Helen Merrill Award recipient, and alumna of the P73 I-73 Writers Group. She is currently under commission from Seattle Rep and Chautauqua Theater Company and developing film projects with Shot of Tea, FilmNation, Wychwood Media and River Road Entertainment.
FUNDING + SUPPORT
A Butler Electronics Inc. Production. Co-Produced with The Flea in association with Under the Radar.
VENUE NOTES + ACCESSIBILITY
The Flea
20 Thomas St
Manhattan, NY
The Flea is accessible from almost every MTA subway line: the A/C/E, 1/2/3, and J/M/Z at Chambers Street, the N/Q at Canal Street, and the R/W and 4/5/6 at City Hall.If arriving by car, there is limited free street parking on Thomas St. Monday through Friday after 7pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. There are also local garages that accept reservations.
Access
The Flea is committed to providing a comfortable theater-going experience for all of our patrons. All of our performance spaces and restrooms are wheelchair accessible, and ADA compliant. The Flea also has assisted listening devices available for audience use. Please contact the Box Office prior to your visit to reserve a wheelchair accessible seat and/or an assisted listening device.
Appropriate Age Range + Content Warnings
THE MASTER’S TOOLS includes intense themes and is recommended for mature audiences.
SCHEDULE
Friday, January 8 at 7pm
Saturday, January 9 at 7pm
Sunday, January 10 at 3pm
Wednesday, January 13 at 7pm
Thursday, January 14 at 7pm
Friday, January 15 at 7pm
Saturday, January 16 at 7pm
Sunday, January 17 at 3pm
Wednesday, January 20 at 7pm
Thursday, January 21 at 7pm
Friday, January 22 at 7pm
Saturday, January 23 at 7pm
Sunday, January 24 at 3pm
VENUE
The Flea
20 Thomas St.
Manhattan, NY
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