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First Look $27 (incl. a $2 fee): August 14 & 15
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The House of the Negro Insane

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Overview

Produced by:
The Negro Ensemble Co., Inc
Dates:
August 14 - September 06, 2026
Run Time:
1 Hour, 40 Minutes
Intermission:
Yes, included in run time.
Theater:
Showing in Theater
Tickets:
$54 (incl. a $4 fee) | 59E59 Members: $40
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Show Info

Tickets for the Summer Season will go on sale to 59E59 Members on Tuesday, April 14 at 12:00PM. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, April 21 at 12:00PM.

By Terence Anthony
Directed by Daniel Carlton 

The year is 1935. For years, Attius has lived behind the imposing walls of Central State Hospital – one of only seven US psychiatric institutions built to house "insane and idiotic negroes" – where the homeless and destitute are confined alongside the diseased and the criminally insane. 

Attius has carved out a meager existence within the hospital building coffins, quietly crafting the final boxes for those who will never see freedom again. But everything changes when two new patients arrive, and Attius is forced to confront a possibility he buried long ago – a chance at life beyond the walls.

CONTENT TRANSPARENCY

In an effort to care for our community, we’re sharing details about this production that may be sensitive for members of our audience. The following information may reveal plot points.

Recommended ages 16+. This show contains strong language, racial slurs, and violence.

Producing Company

Negro Ensemble Company, Inc.

The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC, Inc.) develops, produces, and sustains transformative theatre rooted in the Black experience. Founded to amplify voices historically excluded from American stages, NEC, Inc. centers Black playwrights and artists whose work interrogates culture, power, identity, and resilience. NEC, Inc. serves as both a cultural home and a creative engine honoring legacy while advancing bold, contemporary Black storytelling. NEC, Inc. is a Co-Op Resident Company at 59E59 Theaters.

Reviews

"The House of the Negro Insane will sweep you up in a tornado of emotions and deliver a few gut-punches as well. A polished piece of playwrighting, this piece... should find its place on stages across the country." – BroadwayWorld

"...vivdly invokes a shameful American Past" – Washington Post

"A grippingly intense experience of theater, and a microcosm of Jim Crow America." – DC Theater Arts

"A disturbing, gripping play. The playwright uses a gruesome, little known setting, adds compelling characters and tells the story of extreme government-sanctioned racial injustice." – WYPR

Schedule & Tickets

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