By Kateryna Hryhorenko
Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is set to release acclaimed poet, playwright, and musician Cornelius Eady’s haunting dramatic work Brutal Imagination: The Play on November 17, 2026. Published by TCG Books as part of its Illuminations series—a collection of landmark works by Black playwrights curated by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins—the new edition also features a foreword by Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Morton.
Adapted from Eady’s National Book Award-finalist poetry cycle, Brutal Imagination draws inspiration from the real-life 1994 case of Susan Smith, a white South Carolina woman who murdered her two young children and falsely claimed they had been abducted by a young Black man. Through spare poetry and dramatic invention, Eady gives voice to that imaginary scapegoat, Mr. Zero. As Smith’s fabricated story grows more elaborate, Mr. Zero evolves from a passive invention into an active witness who resists his assigned role, confronting the racial stereotypes, systemic hypocrisy, and societal assumptions that allowed the lie to take hold.
“With this play, Cornelius Eady lays bare the racial hypocrisy that is deeply embedded in the American justice system. Brutal Imagination is as poignant now as it was when it first premiered,” shared Veronica Diaz, Editorial Director of TCG Books. “We’re so proud to bring this powerful work to new audiences through the Illuminations series.” Alongside Eady’s script, Morton—celebrated for his screen roles in Scandal and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, as well as his Lucille Lortel Award-winning Off-Broadway turn as Dick Gregory in Turn Me Loose—contributes an insightful foreword framing the play’s enduring relevance.
Widely praised by critics for transforming poetry into gripping theater, Brutal Imagination: The Play arrives in paperback on November 17, 2026, via Theatre Communications Group and is currently available for pre-order.
