Chat with us, powered by LiveChat The High Ground
Play video icon.
TIMELESS LOVE STORY

The High Ground

  • Credits

    By Nathan Alan Davis
    Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian

  • Location

    Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle

  • Run Time

    Approximately 70 minutes, no intermission

"PROVOCATIVE AND LYRICAL"

— The Washington Post

More than a century after the Tulsa race massacre killed hundreds and destroyed the prosperous Greenwood District, a Black man in army garb still stands his ground on present-day Tulsa’s Standpipe Hill. Traversing space and time, The High Ground is a lyrical story of the mysteries of love and loss, reminding us of what it takes to re-emerge from the devastation of a century, long after the embers have turned to ash.

The High Ground is made possible through generous funding from Tiffeny Sanchez and Reg Brown.
Additional support is provided by , Sandy Bieber and Linda Rosenzweig, and .
This project is supported in part by the 
The High Ground is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.

Arena Stage offers this production in memory of long-time friend and Trustee Helga Tarver.

Cast

PHILLIP JAMES BRANNON

Soldier

NEHASSAIU deGANNES

Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black

RACHEL FELSTEIN

Voice of Dispatcher

PETER BOYER

Voice of Cop

DeJUAN CHRISTOPHER

Male Understudy

DeSHAWN WHITE

Female Understudy

GRACE O. GYAMFI

Supplemental Extra

Creative

NATHAN ALAN DAVIS

Playwright

MEGAN SANDBERG-ZAKIAN

Director

PAIGE HATHAWAY

Set Designer

SARITA FELLOWS

Costume Designer

SHERRICE MOJGANI

Lighting Designer

NATHAN LEIGH

Original Music and Sound Design

TOMMY KURZMAN

Hair and Wig Designer

OTIS RAMSEY-ZÖE

Dramaturg

JOCELYN CLARKE

Dramaturg

JOSEPH PINZON

Casting Director

CHRISTI B. SPANN

Stage Manager

JALON PAYTON

Assistant Stage Manager

Photos

Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) and Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) and Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) and Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) and Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) and Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.
Phillip James Brannon (Soldier) and Nehassaiu deGannes (Victoria/Vicky/Vee/The Woman in Black) in "The High Ground" running February 10 through April 2 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Photo by Margot Schulman.

Videos

The High Ground in the News

FOX 5 DC

Stars of The High Ground visit FOX 5 Morning

BROADWAYWORLD

"There's something special happening in the Kogod Cradle Theatre at Arena Stage from now until early April."

THE WASHINGTON POST

A playwright grapples with the legacy of the Tulsa Race Massacre

MARYLAND THEATRE GUIDE

TOP 5 SHOWS OF THE WEEK

PGCTV METRO SCENE

Phillip James Brannon and Nehassaiu deGannes talk The High Ground

WASHINGTONIAN

"There’s still time to travel to Tulsa’s past in The High Ground at Arena Stage."

DC THEATER ARTS

“70-minute meditation on love, loss, and the turbulence of unresolved racial animus”

THE WASHINGTON INFORMER

“a BEAUTIFULLY, WELL-EXECUTED production…STELLAR performances…
the audience is immediately pulled into the narrative”

THE WASHINGTON POST

“And Sandberg-Zakian’s pair of actors certainly breathe admirable life into Davis’s construct.”

WTOP

‘The High Ground’ at Arena Stage finds timeless love story in Tulsa Race Massacre

THE ZEBRA

“For Brannon, maintaining the combative persona of the anxiety-plagued soldier still capable of love, it is a brilliant achievement.

MARYLAND THEATRE GUIDE

“love emerges as the hopeful, yet hesitant, victor in many ways”

THE HILLTOP

Retelling Of Tulsa Race Massacre Takes Center Stage In ‘The High Ground’

SECRET DC

9 Ways You Can Still Honor Black History Month In D.C.

NBC4 WASHINGTON

10 Theater Shows Worth Seeing This Winter

THE WASHINGTON POST

The best things to do in the D.C. area

WASHINGTONIAN

"A new stage play narrates the history of the the Tulsa race massacre in a setting 100 years after the horrific event took place."

THE SOUTHWESTER

Evocative, Award-Winning Play The High Ground Opens at Arena Stage

THE GEORGETOWNER

2023 Spring Performing Arts Preview

DCIST

February Theater Preview: Shows To See Around D.C. This Month

Playbill

Phillip James Brannon to Star in The High Ground at Arena Stage

NBC4 WASHINGTON

The Weekend Scene: 15+ Things to Do Around DC

VISIT WASHINGTON

Ways to Celebrate Black History Month in Washington, DC