The Brother/Sister Plays is a triptych of plays written by American playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. The play premiered in 2008 at the Young Vic Theatre in London, before moving in 2009 to the McCarter Theatre Center in New Jersey. It then premiered Off-Broadway at The Public Theater later that year. The play has been widely praised for its naturalism, themes and McCraney's writing.

Development All three plays are set in the Louisiana bayou across several decades, culminating in a hurricane, akin to Hurricane Katrina. McCraney was inspired by the exploration of mythology and religion, specifically West African spiritual traditions when writing the plays. He named the characters of Oya, Ogun and Elegba after Yoruban deities.

McCraney wrote the play during his second year attending the Yale School of Drama, where he was an assistant to August Wilson. Oskar Eustis, then artistic director of The Public Theater, attended a reading and lauded his generational voice."

Synopsis A. In The Red and Brown Water

The main character of In The Red and Brown Water is Oya, a young woman who is a talented track runner. She sacrifices her ambition and a full ride scholarship to state university to stay home with her dying Mother. Oya’s life quickly becomes about relationships. An adoring young man and hard worker with a stutter, Ogun, is in love with Oya, but she is unable to resist the advances of the passionate “bad boy” Shango. Soon, Shango goes to war, and Oya moves in with Ogun. A long time friend, Elegba, visits Oya throughout her narrative and after learning he has fathered a child, Oya realizes that she is unable to have children. She pushes Ogun away at the same time that Shango returns, and shortly after, Oya learns he has impregnated a local girl, Shun. With no career and the inability to live up to societal expectations of being a mother, Oya spirals into madness to the point where she cuts off her ear in order to prove her love to Shango.

B. The Brothers Size

Set a few years later, we meet Ogun’s brother Oshoosi, who has recently been released from prison. Ogun is a hardworking man who does not want to see him go back to jail. He unsuccessfully tries to ground his free-spirited brother, whose only dream is buying a car and driving somewhere far away. While Ogun tries to get Oshoosi on the right track, Elegba, Oshoosi’s prison mate and occasional lover, just wants to have fun. He gifts Oshoosi with a car and the two go for a ride, but Elegba neglects to tell him that he is carrying cocaine in his duffel bag. A power hungry local sheriff discovers Elegba’s cocaine and instead of staying to face charges, Oshoosi runs home to Ogun. Ogun convinces his brother to run away, saying he will deny his brother’s existence when the police arrive. Oshoosi ends up fleeing to Mexico.

C. Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet

Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet is set several years in the future and introduces Elegba’s son, Marcus. Marcus is 16 and after having a dream in which Oshoosi comes to him, he seeks to discover what similarities he has with his recently deceased father. On the journey to learn more about his past, Marcus learns a surprising amount about himself as well. He meets Shua, a young man who has just moved into the area, who forces him to explore his own sexuality.

Productions A. The Brother Sister Plays

Company Place Dates Ref. Company One Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA October 28 – December 3, 2011 The McCarter Theatre Company McCarter Theatre, New Jersey May 14 - June 21, 2016

B. In the Red and Brown Water

Company Place Dates Ref. Young Vic Young Vic Theatre, London Oct 9 - Nov 8, 2008 The Foundry Theatre The Public Theater, NYC Oct 21 - Dec 20, 2009 Steppenwolf Theatre Company Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL Jan 21 - May 23, 2010 The Fountain Theatre The Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 2012–13

C. The Brothers Size

Company Place Dates Ref. Young Vic Young Vic Theatre, London Nov 13 - Dec 12, 2007 The Foundry Theatre The Public Theater, NYC Oct 21 - Dec 20, 2009 Young Vic Young Vic Theatre, London Jan 19 - Feb 14, 2018 Geffen Playhouse and The Shed Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles The Shed, NYC Aug 14 - Sept 08, 2024 Aug 30 - Sept 28, 2025

D. Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet

Company Place Dates Ref. American Conservatory Theater The Geary Theatre, San Francisco, CA Oct 29 - Nov 21, 2010 Studio Theatre Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C. Jan 12, 2011 - Feb 20, 2011 Guthrie Theatre Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN Sept 12 - Oct 05, 2014

Legacy The works have been cited as inspiration for a. k. payne's play Furlough's Paradise, which was awarded the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize in 2025.

Awards and nominations 2008 Young Vic production YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.2008Olivier AwardOutstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre

2009 Off-Broadway premiere YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.2009New York TimesNew York Times Outstanding Playwright AwardTarell Alvin McCraneySteinberg Playwright AwardsLucille Lortel AwardLucille Lortel Award for Outstanding PlayOutstanding Lighting DesignPeter Kaczorowski

2026 Off-Broadway Revival, The Brothers Size YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.2026Drama League AwardsOutstanding Revival of a PlayDistinguished PerformanceAndré HollandAlani iLongweDrama Desk AwardsOutstanding Direction of a PlayTarell Alvin McCraney and Bijan Sheiban Outstanding Music in a PlayStan Mathabane and Munir ZakeeOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Revival of a PlayOutstanding Lead Performer in an Off-Broadway PlayAndré HollandAlani iLongweOutstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway PlayMalcolm MaysOutstanding Direction of a PlayTarell Alvin McCraney and Bijan Shibani

See also Yoruba Americans

References

Billington, Michael. "Theatre Review: In the Red and Brown Water / Young Vic, London." The Guardian, 09 Oct. 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2016. "The Brother/Sister Plays Audience Reaction.” YouTube. Public Theatre, 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2016. Fisher, Philip. "Theatre Review: In the Red and Brown Water at Young Vic." Theatre Review: In the Red and Brown Water at Young Vic. British Theatre Guide, 2008. Web. 14 Mar. 2016. Goldfield, David R. Black, White, and Southern: Race Relations and Southern Culture, 1940 to the Present. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1990. Print. Hall, Gwendolyn Midlo. Africans in Colonial Louisiana: The Development of AfroCreole Culture in the Eighteenth Century. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1992. Print. Love, Velma E. Divining the Self: A Study in Yoruba Myth and Human Consciousness. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State UP, 2012. Print. McCraney, Tarell Alvin. The Brother/Sister Plays. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2010. Print. McCraney, Tarell Alvin. "Tarell Alvin McCraney: How to Endure Imposterphobia." Broadway Buzz. Broadway.com, 30 Oct. 2007. Web. 14 Mar. 2016. Parrinder, Geoffrey. West African Religion: Illustrated from the Beliefs and Practices of the Yoruba, Ewe, Akan, and Kindred Peoples. London: Epworth, 1949. Print. "Tarell Alvin McCraney." New Dramatists, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

External links Words on Plays. ACT-SF.org. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. The Brothers Size. seattlerep.org. Seattle Repertory Theatre. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.