Tempestuous Elements

"A big chunk of hidden history…and hidden D.C. history"

— Molly Smith

Born into slavery in North Carolina, Anna Julia Cooper was a visionary Black feminist and educator in the late 19^th/early 20^th centuries, and only the fourth African American woman to earn a doctoral degree. Tempestuous Elements—the 11^th in Arena Stage’s Power Play cycle—shines a light on Cooper’s tumultuous tenure as Principal of Washington, D.C.’s historic M Street High School where she fought to keep Black education alive, despite the racism, gossip and sexism that threatened to consign her efforts to obscurity.

Support for Tempestuous Elements is provided by Susan and Steve Bralove and The Drs. Elliot and Lily Gardner Feldman Endowment for New Plays at Arena Stage.