The Stagecrafters theater concludes its 2017-2018 season with David Mamet’s funny, fast, and furious legal thriller, RACE. This play takes us “… on a giddy roller-coaster ride through personal and professional ethics, legal maneuvers, back-stabbings, and lessons on the [racial] landscape …” (www.theatermania.com) in these United States of America – a provocative tale of sex, guilt, and wild-eyed allegations, as if literally ripped from today’s headlines. In the action a racially-charged sexual assault has occurred which leads to legal moves being taken against one Charles Strickland, a wealthy resident in his town, who engages two hot-shot attorneys – one black and one white – to defend his case. Not quite on their radar, a young woman new to the firm lobs a few shots of her own just to muddy the waters. Suffice to say that Mamet, “… blowtorches our perceptions … right from the start … about the law. and gender. and race, … [and] about privilege, … with surprising plot twists that make us smile [well, at least ‘smirk’] at [his] wickedly playful inventiveness. …” (www.houstonpress.com).
David Mamet (b. 1947), consummate American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and author, won the Pulitzer prize and received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988), both of which have received staged readings at The Stagecrafters. Among feature films written and directed by him are included House of Games (1987), Oleanna (1994), The Spanish Prisoner (1997), and The Winslow Boy (1999). Mamet is a founding member of the Atlantic Theater Company (1976) and in 2002 was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame. RACE, which opened in previews at the Ethyl Barrymore Theatre on November 16, 2009, ran for over 300 performances. In a 2009 essay on RACE, the author acerbically characterized the play as treating “… the theme of race and the lies we tell each other on the subject.” (The New York Times). Critical commentary included: “… high-voltage melodrama … unafraid to raise painful questions while dispensing prickly ideas and provocative dialogue … full of wry jokes [and] cheeky provocations.” (Bloomberg News). RACE has seen extensive presentation in American and Canadian regional theaters, as well as in the United Kingdom.
Performance dates are June 15-30. Thu, Fri, Sat @ 8 pm, Sun @ 2 pm. Tickets are available at $21.00 Online (no service charge), $25.00 At-door. (Thu. & Fri. eve performances 2-for-$32 Online, 2-for-$35 At-door). Students with valid ID $15.00, Seniors $22 (At-door, any performance). Groups of 15 or more are offered a reduced rate of $15.00 a ticket, paid in advance. The box office opens 45 minutes before each performance. For information call 215-247-8881; reservations-direct 215-247-9913. The theater is located in the heart of Chestnut Hill at 8130 Germantown Ave. Visit website for details: www.thestagecrafters.org.
Theater/Organization The Stagecrafters
Theater/Organization Website: http://www.thestagecrafters.org
Theater/Organization Address: 8130 Germantown Avenue Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19118 (Map It)
Theater/Organization Phone: (215) 247-9257
