As reported by Anemona Hartocollis of the The New York Times, Albee’s rarely performed play, The Death of Bessie Smith is being used to “[…] help save the Interfaith Medical Center, a small community hospital that serves poor and black patients from Bedford-Stuyvesant. It filed for bankruptcy a year ago and has been struggling to stay open since.”

The Death of Bessie Smith is set in Memphis, Tennessee, 1937, a time when the South’s aristocracy is crumbling amidst the deeply racist views of its citizens. At a white hospital a Nurse belittles a black Orderly, a polite young man eager to improve himself, and is severely condescending to an Intern, a white man, who is seemingly in love with her. When the Intern finally turns on her she vows to retaliate by ruining his career.

For more information on the production, visit The New York Times website to read the full article.