Human Histories Onstage: A Conversation on Collaboration with Naomi Wallace & Marcus Rediker

In this essay, which precedes an interview with the playwright Naomi Wallace and the historian Marcus Rediker, an examination of the ideological and aesthetic motivations shared between the two writers reveals how Marxist humanism guides a new co-writing project titled The Return of Benjamin Lay. After describing Benjamin's life and abolitionist activism, an explanation of the two writers' continued collaboration and shared dramaturgy describes how both writers find Benjamin a worthy subject to adapt for the stage.