Playwriting Student, Deandre C. Short ’23 Assistant Directs ‘Confederates’

By
Emma Schillage
March 04, 2022

Second-year Playwriting student, Deandre C. Short '23 has signed on as the assistant director for Dominique Morisseau’s new play, Confederates

Confederates recounts the story of ​​Sara, an enslaved rebel turned Union spy, and Sandra, a tenured professor in a modern-day private university. Sara and Sandra experience parallel examples of institutional racism, though they live over a century apart. Directed by Stori Ayers, Confederates leaps through time to trace the identities of these two Black American women and explore the power that racial and gender bias still have in American educational systems today.

POC man with glasses smiling

“Working on Confederates has afforded me the opportunity to learn that we must extend grace when creating theatre because it’s a process. It is okay not to have all the answers right away. I’m grateful to be a part of this creative team,” Short said about the process of working with the director, Stori Ayers. 

Confederates will run at the Signature Theatre from March 4 until April 10. 

Deandre C. Short is a playwright born and raised in Virginia. He received his BA in Theatre Performance and English from the University of Lynchburg. He writes plays that explore the experience of gay men of color, internalized racism, interracial relationships, dating culture, colorism, mental illness, and familial dynamics.