The Carleton Players will present acclaimed American playwright David Mamet's explosive drama, Race, with performances nightly at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 2-3 and 9-10 in the Weitz Center for Creativity Theater. Directed by David Wiles, Race forces audiences to consider their own beliefs regarding race, sex and guilt. The thought-provoking play questions numerous assumptions and stereotypes of American society and race relations. Performances are free and open to the public but reservations are recommended and can be made online.

Celebrated playwright David Mamet often gets his best results by writing about people at their worst. Race tells the story of two attorneys, charged with defending a white man accused of raping an African-American woman. In the face of unraveling evidence, the lawyers' own uncomfortable beliefs about race rise to the surface. It's a crime mystery that's both dramatic and darkly comedic, riddled with Mamet’s signature barbed one-liners. Mamet himself has said that the “theme is race and the lies we tell each other on the subject.”

Associate professor of theater David Wiles holds a BA in history from the University of Cincinnati and a MFA in acting from Yale University. His acting credits include appearances at Yale Repertory, Shakespeare & Company, the Aquila Theatre Company, The Guthrie Theater, Ten Thousand Things and Park Square Theater. His article, "Burdens of Representation: The Method and the Audience," appears in Method Acting Reconsidered. "Beyond Race and Gender: Reframing Diversity in Actor Training Programs" appears in The Politics of American Actor Training.

This event is sponsored by Carleton College Department of Theater and Dance. For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact(507) 222-4341. The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at 301 East Third Street in Northfield. (Enter at Third and College Streets.)