The New Jewish Theatre will continue its 2013-2014 season with “Whipping Man” by Matthew Lopez, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 16. Set in Richmond, Va., immediately after the end of the Civil War, “The Whipping Man,” is based on the experience of Jews who lived in the South during the Civil War and who fought for the Confederate Army (reportedly as many as 10,000). 

The end of the Civil War in April 1865 coincided that year with the Passover, the Jewish celebration of freedom. The play centers on one severely wounded soldier, the son of a wealthy family, and two former slaves who were once his property.

The soldier returns from the battlefield to find his family home in ruins, abandoned by everyone except his two former slaves, who were raised as Jews in the family’s home. As the three men reunite to celebrate Passover, they uncover a tangle of secrets.

As the three gather around a makeshift seder table, age-old questions of justice and freedom find new and surprising answers (the NJT production will use an authentic Passover Haggadah from 1859 for the reenactment of the seder).

Doug Finlayson directs the NJT production, which features J. Samuel Davis, Greg Fenner and Austin Pierce. The play runs in the Wool Studio Theatre at the Jewish Community Center Staenberg Family Complex, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. Tickets are available at newjewishtheatre.org or from the NJT box office at 313-442-3283.