MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale
MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale
MacMillan Center

GLC Screening of "The Gray House" Examines Agency, Women, and Slavery in the Civil War

Attendees watched the second episode of upcoming Civil War miniseries “The Gray House” and listened to a talk-back featuring producers, actors, and historians.

What was life like for an unlikely network of female spies who helped turn the tide of the war?

An eager crowd of attendees ranging from Yale students to high school teachers to New Haven residents gathered in Luce Hall Auditorium for a pre-screening of“The Gray House,” a Civil War period drama set in Richmond, Virginia, about an unlikely network of female spies who helped turn the tide of the war. Directed by Roland Joffe and produced by Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman, the 8 episode series will begin streaming on Prime Video on February 26, 2026.

Hosted by the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition (GLC), at Yale’s MacMillan Center, the event opened with remarks by historian and executive director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Christy Coleman. Referring to the pseudohistorical “Lost Cause,” or the white supremacist mythology that claims that the Civil War was fought over state's rights and not slavery, Coleman said that there are “parts of Richmond that the Lost Cause never wanted anybody to know about…[and] people who were resistant to this idea of secession and breaking away, who were resistant to the institution of slavery.” 

The series title “The Gray House” refers to the White House of the Confederacy, a historic mansion located in Richmond, Virginia, that served as the official residence of the President of the Confederate States of America.

The event also featured a talk-back with Coleman, supporting actor Ian Duff, executive producer Lori McCreary, and Gilder Lehrman Center Director of Public Education and Outreach Daisha Brabham. The talk-back was joined virtually by Leslie Greif, who is the writer and executive producer of “The Gray House.”

Panelists discussed the importance of being authentic to the historical basis of the series, crafting a drama that differentiated itself from the typical Civil War story, and working with both a limited budget and an incredible cast of actors to bring life to the production. “I’d never seen agency for women and for African Americans, the way I saw it in this story,” Coleman said, reflecting on the first time she read the script.

Aaron Hull, a history teacher at Greenwich High School, Connecticut, said that he was struck by one panelist’s comment that “60% to 68% of what Americans know about history comes from film…rather than the academic training that a lot of those of us in academia [receive].” He expressed his gratitude towards the creation of the series as an educating force. Hull added that he was impressed with “the level of agency and the level of realism” of the production. 

Remarking on the series, actor Ian Duff said he hopes people learn that “throughout history, the more that we work together, we’re better off.” 

Gilder Lehrman Center Associate Director Michelle Zacks agreed, noting in her introductory remarks that the GLC was pleased to host the screening and conversation at a time when historical research, education, and public awareness of the truths of our complicated past and present are under attack. “It is vital,” Zacks observed, “that we use every media format at our disposal to encourage people to be actively engaged in history, in learning, and in the intellectual, social, and civic life of our imperiled democracy.” On behalf of the GLC, she applauded the writers, actors, and producers of the series for embracing that role.
 


Story written by Thy Luong '28, student writer at the MacMillan Center.

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