Every Tongue Confess is a historical narrative centered around a series of church burnings in the backwater town of Boligee, Alabama. Healer and sage Mother Sister and her son Shadrack are at the center of Gardley’s non-linear mythical story which weaves together three seemingly disparate tales. In this Greek inspired memory play with music, African American folk religion is ritualized. Gardley’s fiery theatrical offering is “Part magic realism, part miracle play, part parable…a sort of epic theatre-poem exploring sin, loss, and redemption.” —Washingtonian
With a critically acclaimed premiere at the Arena Stage, every tongue confess received nominations for the Steinberg New Play Award, the Charles MacArthur Award, and was a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award.