Reopening the Dan White Trial in Emily Mann’s Execution of Justice

This essay presents an in-depth analysis of Emily Mann's Execution of Justice, a documentary play on the Dan White trial. The essay covers the genesis of the play, the evolution of Mann's perspective on the material, and her creative adaptation of the documentary form. Although the play owes its existence to the assassination of a prominent gay politician, the word "homophobia" is never mentioned. A close examination reveals that Mann repeatedly brings the audience's attention to how queerness was expelled from the courtroom. She furthermore inserts queer perspectives via the chorus of uncalled witnesses. However, her politics ultimately exceed the confines of identity-based social movements, inviting the audience to work across differences toward greater social justice.