Brother Toad at The Ensemble Theatre

Eighteen-year-old Black high school student Marques has narrowly survived being shot by a white man while sitting in a car with a friend, who was killed. As the play begins, Marques recuperates at home, listening to a sports-talk radio program hosted by his uncle, Randall, who announces an upcoming local march for safety from gun violence. The family’s reluctance to attend seems to stem from other, unclear concerns, but it’s that fear, in its many forms, that is a thread throughout this work. Do we need guns to keep ourselves safe? Playwright Nathan Louis Jackson aims to pose questions, not answer them.