ONLINE: Smart People

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courtesy APT

Cassia Thompson in the American Players Theatre virtual production of "Smart People."

press release: American Players Theatre (APT) is proud to once again partner with PBS Wisconsin to share a new series of “Out of the Woods” play readings, performed and recorded live. This new series will kick off on Friday, November 6, with The Sins of Sor Juana by Karen Zacarías, and will be followed by Nathan Alan Davis’ Nat Turner in Jerusalem on Friday, November 13, and Lydia R. Diamond’s Smart People on Friday, November 20. The play readings will be posted at 7:00 pm Central Time on those dates, and will be available to stream for free on demand through December 31, 2020, at pbswisconsin.org/apt. Each play will also stream in full at 7:00 pm CT on those dates on the PBS Wisconsin and APT Facebook pages for viewers to watch along together.

For the last few years, APT has been exploring the idea of just what makes “a classic.” In that vein, this reading series focuses on plays by playwrights who are Black, Indigenous or People of Color, and are created in collaboration with BIPOC directors and artists.

Artistic Director Brenda DeVita said, “People who’ve been in our audience for a while will be very aware of our growing exploration of new voices; of new stories; of asking ourselves again and again what does it mean to be a classic? And we were blown away by the response from our audience – people who have been coming to APT for years, and from people who’ve never set foot on our property – about the first “Out of the Woods” play readings. And it was always our hope that we would be able to produce a second series of play readings written by BIPOC writers, and created by BIPOC artists. It feels vital in this moment to keep pushing ourselves to understand more deeply what it means to be human and to keep ourselves moving forward on our path toward a more equitable theatre space, and a more equitable world.”

This latest edition of the “Out of the Woods” series joins other virtual content APT and its acting company have been involved in creating, such as the Words from the Woods poetry-reading series; Six Feet Apart: Conversations with the Core Company; and The Empty Box: Tales of Royal Screw Ups And/Or Extraordinary Scene Chewing from the APT Core Company. These videos can be viewed for free at americanplayers.org/news/video. APT also just concluded it’s premiere immersive audio experience, “If These Trees Could Talk” this past weekend, which gave audience members an opportunity to safely attend an APT event on the grounds for the first time this year. APT is grateful for the sponsors whose support helped make this play-reading series happen: Arcadia Books, Dane Arts, Nancy A. McDaniel, Orange Tree Imports and Wilson Creek Pottery.

Smart People

By Lydia R. Diamond

Directed by Melisa Pereyra

Just before Obama’s first election, four of Harvard University's brightest - a surgeon, an actress, a psychologist and a neuropsychiatrist - struggle with a society that considers itself “post-racial,” and is all too often proven wrong. Jackson, Valerie, Ginny and Brian are all interested in different aspects of the brain, particularly in how it responds to race. But they’re also on a quest for love, success and identity in their own lives. A fiercely funny play about social and sexual politics. Featuring Rasell Holt as Jackson Moore, Cassia Thompson as Vanessa Johnston, Amy Kim Waschke as Ginny Yang and Jeb Burris as Brian White. *Please note: This play contains profanity, and sexual content and language.