American Conservatory Theater: David Mamet's Race

Race

October 21–November 13, 2011

West Coast Premiere

by David Mamet
Directed by Irene Lewis

Running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
There will be no intermission.
The A.C.T. bars open one hour before curtain. Come early and enjoy a drink before the show!

Fresh from a triumphant run on Broadway, David Mamet's sly and searing legal comedy makes its West Coast debut at A.C.T. With his trademark verbal pyrotechnics, Mamet unleashes a thrilling power struggle as three attorneys scramble to represent a wealthy white man accused of assaulting a black woman. As alliances shift and battle lines are drawn, Race boldly confronts the most incendiary issues of our time, challenging our perceptions of justice: What is the truth, and who has the right to tell it?

Recommended for ages 14 and up (contains adult language)

"Gripping, stimulating, and perversely enjoyable! Mamet's toughest, tautest, and most compelling dialogue in years. The action unfolds with the cagey tension of a poker game or a fierce cross-examination." —San Francisco Chronicle

"No-holds-barred Mamet . . . race down to A.C.T. for a delightfully uncomfortable evening." —Stark Insider

"A high-stakes game of cat and mouse. Race captures the culture of gusto, greed, and ambition that greases the wheels of the legal system." —San Jose Mercury News

"Deliciously unsettling . . . keeps you guessing to the end" —BeyondChron

"Not to be missed . . . an extraordinary cast . . . 90 compelling minutes at A.C.T." —Berkeley Daily Planet

"A 'shock' drama [of] sex, race, loyalty, and betrayal" —New York Magazine

"The greatest American playwright of his generation" —The New York Times

"The dialogue is tasty, the confrontations spiky." —Variety

"Exhilarating" —The New Yorker

"A topical detective story" —The New York Times

"High-voltage" —Bloomberg

"Muscular writing and the strong and appealing cast under intelligent direction by Irene Lewis guarantee an enjoyable, crackerjack production" —San Francisco Bay Guardian

InterACT Events
Splashy parties, lively discussions, and more—all free with your ticket.*

Prologue
October 25, 5:30 p.m.
Get inside the artistic process at this lively preshow discussion with the director and A.C.T. artistic staff.

Experts Talk Back New!
This postshow discussion series features local experts who will lead discussions about many of the provocative topics that percolate throughout the production. Visit the Experts Talk Back tab for more information.
October 28, 8 p.m.
November 3, 8 p.m.
November 10, 8 p.m.

Audience Exchanges
November 1, 7 p.m.
November 6, 2 p.m.
November 9, 2 p.m.
After the show, stick around for a lively Q&A session with the actors, moderated by a member of the A.C.T. artistic staff.

Theater on the Couch Featuring a new speaker this season!
November 4, 8 p.m.
Led by Mason Turner, chief of psychiatry at San Francisco's Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, this exciting postshow discussion series explores the minds, motives, and behaviors of the characters and addresses audience questions.

OUT with A.C.T.
November 2, 8 p.m.
The best LGBT night in town! Mingle with the cast and enjoy free drinks and treats at this popular afterparty. Visit www.act-sf.org/out for information about how to subscribe to OUT nights throughout the season.

A.C.T. Family Series
November 12, 2 p.m.
A new theater experience for young adults and their families! This four-play subscription series features fun, hands-on workshops before a Saturday matinee performance of each production. For this workshop, which begins at 1 p.m., actor Kevin Rolston (an understudy in the A.C.T. production of Race) leads a workshop on speaking and acting the work of David Mamet. Mamet writes some of the most exciting and challenging dialogue for today's actors, and a few lucky participants may get to give it a try! Click here to learn more about A.C.T.'s Family Series.

Discussions are free for ticket holders. Please note that performance times vary.

Experts Talk Back

New for Race!
This postshow discussion series features local experts who will lead discussions about many of the provocative topics that percolate throughout the production.

Friday, October 28, following the 8 p.m. performance
Regina Arnold, a former rock critic who teaches at Stanford University, leads a discussion on race, ethnicity, and pop culture moderated by Edward Budworth, A.C.T.'s group sales and student matinee representative.

Thursday, November 3, following the 8 p.m. performance
Mary McNamara, a criminal defense lawyer, leads a discussion moderated by Patrick S. Thompson, a partner at Goodwin Procter and a member of A.C.T.'s Board of Trustees.

Thursday, November 10, following the 8 p.m. performance
Wilda L. White, executive director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law, and Jennifer Madden, deputy district attorney in Alameda County, lead a discussion moderated by Patrick S. Thompson, a partner at Goodwin Procter and a member of A.C.T.'s Board of Trustees.

*Most events are free for ticket holders. Please note that performance times vary.

Cast

Chris Butler
(Henry Brown)

Susan Heyward
(Susan)

Kevin Rolston
(Understudy)

Courtney Thomas
(Understudy)

Anthony Fusco
(Jack Lawson)

Kevin O'Rourke
(Charles Strickland)

Michael Gene Sullivan
(Understudy)

Creative Team

David Mamet (Playwright)
Irene Lewis (Director)
Christopher Barreca (Scenic Designer)
Candice Donnelly (Costume Designer)
Rui Rita (Lighting Designer)
Cliff Caruthers (Sound Designer)
Michael Paller (Dramaturg)
Kimberly Mark Webb (Stage Manager)
Stephanie Schliemann (Assistant Stage Manager)

Insight into the Play, the Playwright, and the Production

Each entertaining and informative issue of Words on Plays, A.C.T.'s in-depth performance guide series, contains a synopsis, advance program notes, study questions, and additional background information about the historical and cultural context of the play.

Words on Plays is available for purchase in the lobby of the theater during performances or online ($12 each + postage and handling or $5 each for the electronic edition). For more information about how to subscribe to a full or partial season, click here.

Words on Plays Prepared by
Elizabeth Brodersen, Director of Education
Dan Rubin, Publications Manager
Michael Paller, Resident Dramaturg
Emily Hoffman, Publications and Dramaturgy Associate
Emily Means, Education and Publications Fellow

Table of Contents

1.	Characters, Cast, and Synopsis of Race
4.	Stepping into a Lawyer's World: An Interview with Director Irene Lewis by Dan Rubin
10.	David Mamet: A Brief Biography by Dan Rubin
13.	Mamet, Race, and the Right by Dan Rubin
23.	"Fifty Years Ago. You're White? Same Case. Same Facts. You're Innocent.": Interracial Rape from Recy Taylor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn by Emily Hoffman
31.	"Here on a Pass": A Brief History of Affirmative Action Law by Emily Hoffman
35.	"Being Honest Won't Kill Us": An Interview with Scholar Shelby Steele on David Mamet and Race in America by Dan Rubin
41.	A Race Glossary by Emily Hoffman
44.	Questions to Consider / For Further Information . . .