PURE Theatre Presents Mamet's RACE, Opens 5/13

PURE Theatre is proud to present the South Carolina premiere of Race by David Mammot. Directed by PURE's Co-Founder and Artistic Director Sharon Graci, and will feature . The show opens Thursday, May 13th and runs through the 22nd.*

"Scapel-edged intelligence!" -New York Times

Multiple Award-winning playwright/director David Mamet tackles America's most controversial topic in a provocative new tale of sex, guilt and bold accusations.

Two lawyers find themselves defending a wealthy white executive charged with raping a black woman. When a new legal assistant gets involved in the case, the opinions that boil beneath explode to the surface. When David Mamet turns the spotlight on what we think but can't say, dangerous truths are revealed, and no punches are spared.

Parental discretion is advised due to content, language and/or subject matter.

Race made its debut on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in December 2009 featuring David Spade, David Alan Grier, Kerry Washington, and Richard Thomas. It has since been performed throughout the country.

"No playwright is more effective in rendering the lens illuminating society's mores and taboos than David Mamet. He cuts straight in with the precision of a surgeon, and yet leaves nothing unsaid. RACE is a powerhouse drama that dares the audience to not form an opinion. It is smart, sharp, witty theatre and we are so honored to be staging the South Carolina Premiere of this important new work. If you don't leave the theatre talking, you weren't paying attention," says Sharon Graci, Director.

PURE Theatre has garnered a reputation for artistic excellence, risk taking, and thinking outside of the box. The company's intrepid approach to the art and craft of theatre has garnered them numerous critics and audience awards, as well as a loyal following of patrons. PURE has been the recipient of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Play, Best One-Person Play, Most Diverse Theatre Company critic and audience awards, and Winners of the 2010 South Carolina Arts Commission's Fellowships in the Playwrighting & Acting. Student Rush tickets are available for $15 with a valid student ID, for tickets remaining at curtain. * Race will return for Piccolo Spoleto on May 28th at 7:30, May 29th at 6:00, June 1st at 7:30, June 5th at 6:00. All performances will be at the Ansonborough Square Shopping Center.

Race Creatives

David Mamet (Playwright) is the author of the plays: Romance, Boston Marriage, Faustus, Oleanna, Glengarry Glen Ross (1984 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Circle Award), American Buffalo, The Old Neighborhood, A Life in the Theatre, Speed-the-Plow, Edmond, Lakeboat, The Water Engine, The Woods, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Reunion and The Cryptogram (1995 Obie Award). His translations and adaptations include: Faustus and Red River by Pierre Laville; and The Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekov. His films include: The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Verdict, The Untouchables, House of Games (writer/director), Oleanna (writer/director), Homicide (writer/director), The Spanish Prisoner (writer/director), Heist (writer/ director) and Spartan (writer/director). Mr. Mamet is also the author of: Warm and Cold, a book for children with drawings by Donald Sultan, and two other children's books, Passover and The Duck and the Goat; Writing in Restaurants, Some Freaks, and Make-Believe Town, three volumes of essays; The Hero Pony and The China Man, a book of poems; Three Children's Plays, On Directing Film, The Cabin, and the novels The Village, The Old Religion and Wilson. His most recent books include the acting books, True & False and Three Uses of the Knife. Glengarry Glen Ross was awarded the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2005 and his latest play November also appeared on Broadway. In the fall of 2009, Mr. Mamet will be represented on Broadway by the world premiere of his new play Race as well as a revival of Oleanna.

Sharon Graci (Director) is the artistic director and co-founder of PURE Theatre. Directing credits include Yankee Tavern, Up, Speech & Debate, Sheep's Clothing, The Last Five Years, The Seafarer, Underneath the Lintel, and Eurydice. She is an alumnus of the 2007 Lincoln Center Director's Lab. Recent acting credits include Stage: Mara Stockman Kelly in Hogs, Elizabeth in Faith, Hope & Charity, Becca in Rabbit Hole, Celestina in Cloud Tectonics at PURE. Television: Army Wives (Lifetime), One Tree Hill (WB), Surface (NBC).

She studied acting at Point Park University and the Pittsburgh Conservatory of Theatre and received a BA in theatre from Augusta State University. She has performed with numerous regional theatre companies throughout the Southeast and was voted Best Local Actress by Charleston City Paper readers in 2007, 2008, and 2009. She also received a Best Actor award for her work in Montague, winner Best Film, Stopwatch Cinema, and winner of the 2010 South Carolina Arts Commission's Fellowships in the Acting. Liza Dye is a junior CofC Theatre major with a concentration in Performance. She is the 2011-12 President of Center Stage and is also an Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship nominee. She was last seen on CofC's Mainstage as Laveer Swan in Long Time Since Yesterday and as Lady Helen in Shakespeare Project's Cymbeline. This is her first PURE performance.

David Mandel has acted with PURE in AWOL, Low Country Boil, Killer Joe, The Last Five Years, Thom Pain (based on nothing), This Is How It Goes, A Number, American Buffalo, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Seafarer, True West, and Jesus Hopped the "A" Train, among others. He directed PURE's production of Grace, co-directed Speech & Debate, and has written short works for the PURE Lab. He worked three seasons with The New Jersey Shakespeare Festival (Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth), a year in residence at George Street Playhouse, and nine years in Los Angeles at venues including The MET Theatre, HBO Workspace, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LATC, and the Egyptian Arena Theatre. Voted Best Actor in Charleston in 2006 by Charleston City Paper readers, he is PURE's associate artistic director.

R.W. Smith has written plays for PURE Theatre, Theatre 99 and Clemson University. His credits include Sam's Corner, Horse Tranqs & Carriage People, Lowcountry Boil and co-writer for The Complete History of Charleston For Morons. He has directed A Number by Caryl Churchill, which was subsequently remounted for Piccolo, Killer Joe and Horse Tranqs & Carriage People. Lowcountry Boil which Smith wrote, directed, and performed in recently won City Paper's Best Non-Piccolo play of 2010. His PURE acting credits include True West, Grace, Beauty Queen of Leenane, Grace, Man From Nebraska, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, The Seafarer, Shining City, Up, The Pillowman, and American Buffalo.

Michael Smallwood is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a degree in Theater. He was recently seen at PURE in Superior Donuts by Tracy Letts. He is a two-time KCACTF award-winning playwright, winning for his plays TALK and The Mind's I. He has worked as an apprentice at Horizon Theater Company in Atlanta, GA, where he starred in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Judas) and wrote Fall Into Sunlight, which saw its world premiere last January. He has appeared as George Murchison in A Raisin in the Sun at Footlight Players. He will be returning to Footlight in September to direct Topdog/Underdog by Suzan Lori-Parks. Michael also works as a freelance writer for the Charleston City Paper.

 

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