Overview

Presented by
University of Richmond
Department of Theatre and Dance
Sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences
by Carlyle Brown
directed by Chuck Mike

The high-stakes world of Civil War-era horse racing is the stage for this riveting drama of slavery and Reconstruction. Both Simon Cato, a smart cocky “colored” jockey, and his horse, Pure Confidence, are owned by Colonel Wiley Johnson. Cato uses his wits and his championship winnings to buy his wife’s and his own freedom. But the Civil War changes everything, and the passage of time doesn’t bring Cato the success he expects in this surprisingly funny, daring, and emotionally moving look at the complexity of race, humanity, love, and dignity in the second half of the nineteenth century. The year 2020 marks 400 years since Africans set foot on American shores. Pure Confidence commemorates this event.