Take your pick of one of these questions to write about:

1. What connections does the play pose between the griot, Papa Shakespeare, and the playwright, William Shakespeare, whom he claims as a brother? Think of all the connections you can make between the two. Cite passages in the script we can discuss in relation to their forms of communication and artistry. You might also consider what implicit claims Carlyle Brown is making about his own play as griot work.

2. What is the love story between Ann and Jimmy Hewlett doing in this play? What functions does it serve? Think about what other characters get involved; what ideas develop from the parallels and differences between the two people in 1820 and the characters in Richard III. Cite passages we can examine.

3. What is the significance of the conclusion in which the African Company not only survives its suppression but rallies to perform a new show written by Billy Brown, "The Drama of King Shotaway"? Think about what relationships you can find between that novel work by an American writer, its story, the history of Richard III, and Carlyle Brown's play about the African Company doing Richard III in NYC in 1820. Include a discussion of the portion of the script Billy Brown reads. You might also think about what the conclusion suggests about the role of theatre in the history of forming an American identity generally, and in the history of African-American formation of identity and theatre, more particularly.