In The Blood is a play written by Suzan-Lori Parks which premiered at The Joseph Papp Public Theater in 1999.
Parks borrowed many aspects from Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, and wanted to create a play based on the novel.
Directed by David Esbjornson, the cast featured Charlayne Woodard as Hester, Rob Campbell, Gail Grate, Bruce MacVittie, Reggie Montgomery and Dierdre O'Connell.
[6] Schaeberle Studio Theatre at Pace University produced a well-received[citation needed] production of show in the fall of 2004.
Signature Theatre Company performed In The Blood from August 29, 2017 to October 8, 2017 alongside Fucking A (also by Suzan-Lori Parks and inspired by The Scarlet Letter).
The production was directed by SF Hip Hop artist Paul S. Flores and choreographed by Robert Moses.
The play moves to other characters' stories (confessions) such as the doctor, welfare, and her friend, who is involved with Hester's struggling predicament.
Well-made plays followed the formulas of Freytag's pyramid, which, according to David Rush, consists of seven parts for the plot structure.
[11] The plot features the following: State of Equilibrium- Hester needs help raising her five bastard children, while in poverty.
She is shown as a person who is willing to give herself to others when they are in need, but, in return, she only receives pocket dollar bills.
She attempts to work hard and make small profit, but becomes more influenced by her friend, Amiga Gringa.
Bully has more masculine characteristics, and in one scene, she compares the hairs of her private area with her brothers.
She has the "tragic spirit", or hamartia, when she feels responsible for the troubles she has caused and can't help it.
[18] Characters who are poorly educated, like Hester, Jabber, and Amiga Gringa use less complex words and syntax.
The central theme of the play is about society's oppression of the people in poverty and those who take advantage of one another.
[19] Characters like the Doctor, Reverend, and Welfare already have homes and families, but don't put much effort into helping Hester and her children out of poverty.
[22] Characters of the play interact very little with the scenery, but is shown to give the audience some sense of where this is happening.