Resource Guide
for The Brothers Size
A Synopsis of The Brothers Size
A brief scene by scene description of the play, with gratitude to The Steppenwolf Theatre Company for use of their material.
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Yoruba Cosmology Behind the Story
Yoruba is an ethnic group composed of over 40 million people who reside in present day Benin, Togo and Southwestern Nigeria, and share a common language and culture. The forced migration of Yoruba people to the Americas through the Transatlantic Slave Trade led to a blending of multipole religions and cultures. The Brothers Size draws on elements, icons and stories from the Yoruba cosmology, most notably through the names and traits of characters.
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Ogun’s Brother is Missing: The Impact of Mass Incarceration
Mass incarceration affects millions of Americans and their families, and it's no secret that the majority of those incarcerated are Black and Brown and serve longer and harsher sentences than their white counterparts. This is particularly true in Louisiana, where The Brothers Size is set. Playwright Tarrell Alvin McCraney cites his own experience of having a brother who had experienced incarceration and the impact it had on their family.
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The Brothers Size Reading List
Calling all readers! Multnomah County Library put together a reading list inspired by our production of The Brothers Size.
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Cast & Creative Team
Meet the cast and creative team for The Brothers Size.
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Tarell Alvin McCraney & The Brother/Sister Plays
- https://www.drama.yale.edu/bios/tarell-mccraney-2/
- https://www.whiting.org/awards/winners/tarell-alvin-mccraney#/
- https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2013/tarell-mccraney#searchresults
- https://playbill.com/article/in-the-east-my-pleasure-lies-tarell-alvin-mccraney-brings-antony-and-cleopatra-to-the-public-com-215778
- https://nwsa.mdc.edu/highschool/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/magazine/tarell-alvin-mccraney-beauty-black.html
- https://www.thefader.com/2016/10/26/tarell-alvin-mccraney-playwright-moonlig
- https://www.steppenwolf.org/globalassets/study-guides/brosize_studyguide_low-res-sprds.pdf
- https://www.milagrosponcedeleon.com/in-the-red-and-brown-water
- https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/oct/10/theatre3
- https://www.curioustheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Marcus-Study-Guide-Insert.pdf
- https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/theater/reviews/18brother.html
- https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/brother-sister-plays-57617/
Yoruba Cosmology in The Brother/Sister Plays
- https://www.geffenplayhouse.org/blog/the-brothers-size-at-20/
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eshu
- https://www.bop.gov/foia/docs/orishamanual.pdf
- https://www.worldhistory.org/Orisha/
- https://www.djoniba.com/who-are-the-orishas/
- https://medium.com/african-history-collections/yoruba-mythology-the-orishas-of-the-yoruba-religion-f411c3db389d
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/orisha
- https://originalbotanica.com/blog/the-orishas-elegua?srsltid=AfmBOoodRbE8E4jSIPs3q79Vh8SG_Bqz9QPmuVv3VUNYIVO4uRi8Ie42
- https://legacy.cs.indiana.edu/~port/teach/205/santeria2.html
- http://www.aboutsanteria.com/ochosi.html
- https://beyondroots.net/panteon-yoruba/ochosi-the-swift-and-precise-orisha-of-hunting-and-justice-in-yoruba-spirituality/?srsltid=AfmBOorvtZdQ_xho2e__VpG2ozf_LbHf_-kzQBHHdSDSH1DKJPDTh0bn
- https://originalbotanica.com/blog/orishas-ochosi-santeria?srsltid=AfmBOoqgG5_XY5Ym4Ini1welmxV4ecGmso3BgfBq_fk8aYBEOhUpFlzx
- https://mythopedia.com/topics/olorun
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Olorun
- https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100249183
Louisiana Bayou
- https://www.facebook.com/officialpcmag/posts/egun-and-egungun/1448382788531386/
- https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/louisiana#state-rankings
- https://www.labudget.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Census-2022-2023.pdf?ref=floodlightnews.org#:~:text=The%20overall%20poverty%20rate%20in,federal%20poverty%20line%20last%20year.
- https://mchb.tvisdata.hrsa.gov/Narratives/Overview/64d9c860-8fb9-48b2-a6c5-441b0aa1a1c2
- https://boldbeautifulmag.com/isese-festival-celebrating-yoruba-tradition-culture-and-spirituality-in-nigeria/
- https://www.allroadsnorth.com/a-guide-to-cajun-culture-in-southern-louisiana/
- https://heartoflouisiana.com/regions/bayou-region/
- https://www.explorelouisiana.com/louisianas-bayou-country-explore-authentic-culture
- https://www.lacajunbayou.com/things-to-see-and-do
- https://www.lsu.edu/blog/culture/louisiana.php
- https://www.louisianafolklife.org/lt/maidas_essay/main_introduction_onepage.html
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Louisiana-state/Cultural-life
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/44161446?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/23213982?read-now=1&seq=10#page_scan_tab_contents
- https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/the-nature-conservancy-in-louisiana-gulf-coast-prairies-and-marshes/
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/25737052?read-now=1&seq=18#page_scan_tab_contents
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/23213982?read-now=1&seq=10#page_scan_tab_contents
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/534893?searchText=louisiana+bayou&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dlouisiana%2Bbayou%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A628d42adb72f52d156170ad07aa019bf&seq=1
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/44161446?read-now=1&seq=9#page_scan_tab_contents.
Crime & Punishment
- https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/670
- https://www.justice.gov/archive/fbci/progmenu_reentry.html
- https://online.simmons.edu/blog/prisoner-reentry/
- https://joinnia.com/post-incarceration-syndrome/
- https://www.connectionswork.org/reentryprograms
- https://www.cor.pa.gov/community-reentry/Pages/Reentry.aspx
- https://www.cor.pa.gov/Initiatives/Reentry/Documents/Reentry%20Flyer%20-%202016%20May.pdf
- https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/employer-guide-to-second-chance-hiring-programs-and-tax-credits
- https://www.justice.gov/archive/fbci/progmenu_reentry.html
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep27306?searchText=&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dpost%2Bincarceration&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&searchKey=&refreqid=fastly-default%3A74d7cb9bb5be7a2097da0088b45451ee
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep27307?searchText=post+incarceration&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dpost%2Bincarceration&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3Adf2cca431da02d0cf2d2c0d32880e9df
- https://doc.louisiana.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PAROLE-IN-LOUISIANA.pdf
- https://www.mjvergis.com/blog/louisiana-probation-and-parole/
- https://doc.louisiana.gov/imprisoned-person-programs-resources/probation-community-corrections/
- https://doc.louisiana.gov/demographic-dashboard/
- https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/LA.html
- https://www.laaclu.org/en/publications/blueprint-smart-justice-louisiana
- https://www.laaclu.org/en/issues/mass-incarceration
- https://mchb.tvisdata.hrsa.gov/Narratives/Overview/64d9c860-8fb9-48b2-a6c5-441b0aa1a1c2
- https://www.labudget.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Census-2022-2023.pdf?ref=floodlightnews.org#:~:text=The%20overall%20poverty%20rate%20in,federal%20poverty%20line%20last%20year.
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