The Fool’s
Errand (1927)
Eulalie Spence (Playwright)
2 May, 1927
Set in the home of a poor, rural southern family in the 1920s; the drama is about the dilemma of a young woman, Maza, whom a group of pious neighbors accuse of being pregnant out of wedlock. The accusation is based on evidence of baby clothing that Maza has allegedly made. At the end, Maza’s mother enters just as her daughter is about to be forced to marry the wrong Man, Freddi, whom Maza’s father (Doug) and the community have decided is the child’s father. Bur Maza’s mother has made the baby clothing; she is the expectant new mother. The accusations and persecution of the community towards Maza and her boyfriend (Jud) are completely baseless. (Source: Theorizing Black Theatre: Art Versus Protest in Critical Writings, 1898–1965 by Henry D. Miller)
