"Scalpel-edged intelligence!" - The New York Times
〰️
"Scalpel-edged intelligence!" - The New York Times 〰️
Intellectually salacious […] Gripping […] Rapid-fire Mametian style […] Mamet’s new play argues, everything in America..." - Chicago Tribune
〰️
Intellectually salacious […] Gripping […] Rapid-fire Mametian style […] Mamet’s new play argues, everything in America..." - Chicago Tribune 〰️
RACE by David Mamet
Producer: Kit Seidel
Directed by Sandra Renick
ABOUT THE SHOW:
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet pulls no punches in this incendiary drama that cuts to the heart of prejudice, privilege, and the tangled intersections of race and justice. When a wealthy white man is accused of assaulting a Black woman, two lawyers—one Black, one white—must navigate a legal and moral minefield. As tensions mount and a new legal assistant enters the fray, unspoken assumptions and simmering biases erupt into sharp, unfiltered confrontation. Provocative, fast-paced, and unflinchingly honest, Race is a gripping exploration of the lies we tell others—and the ones we tell ourselves.
WHAT IS A STAGED READING - A staged reading is live storytelling with scripts in hand—actors use voice and expression to bring the play to life, inviting the audience to imagine the world through the playwright’s words.
Audience advisory: Race by David Mamet contains mature content, including explicit language, racial slurs, and frank discussions of race, sex, and power. The play is intentionally provocative and confrontational, designed to challenge perspectives and spark honest dialogue. It is not suitable for young audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.
RACE is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals servicing the Samuel French Inc. collection.
RATING: R
RUNTIME: 90 minutes. + 15 Minute Intermission
ADMISSION: $10+ fees
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE: Purchase tickets for 3 Summer Staged Readings for only $20+ fees
PERFORMANCES:
Friday, June 13 at 7:30
Saturday, June 14 at 7:30
CAST:
Susan - Brittany Faye Byrnes
Jack Lawson - Eric Madson
Charles Strickland - Michael Kocken
Henry Brown - Brian Maxwell
Narrator - Nicole McCarty
A Note from the Director
SANDRA RENICK
I’m fired up to finally dive into RACE by David Mamet. A sharp, rarely produced piece that’s as riveting as it is provocative. For years, Kit Seidel (our producer) has been pestering me to direct and produce this play as a staged reading, so the text can take center stage.
I kept dodging it, unsure if the material might be too tough for our actors, for our audience, maybe even for me. Then I really sat down with the script. The words hit hard. I called a group of actors to do an initial virtual read-through, just to hear it out loud. We were all leaning in, silent, completely gripped by the tension and rhythm of the dialogue. As a lifelong Law and Order fan, it felt like I was dropped right into a law office, watching the drama play out in real time.
This play takes you straight into discomfort, for all the right reasons. It forces us to sit with the messiness, the hard truths. And that’s exactly why I knew we had to do it.
I can’t wait for you to experience this story. It’s raw, and it’s relevant. Let it challenge you. Let it stir something. That’s what good theatre should do.
BRITTANY FAYE BYRNES (Susan) is excited to be making her debut with Lake Country Playhouse! She studied Theatre at Marquette University and recently performed in such such productions as Sense and Sensibility (Elinor), Titus Andronicus (Aaron), Holmes and Watson (The Woman), and I Have Before Me a Remarkable Document Given to Me by a Young Lady From Rwanda (Juliette). When she’s not acting, she spends her time baking and doing SFX makeup. She hopes you enjoy the show!
MICHAEL KOCKEN (Charles Strickland)- Michael is excited to return to Lake Country Playhouse! Favorite credits include William Barfeé in Lake Country Playhouse’s production of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTRY SPELLING BEE, George in Sunset Playhouse’s DRINKING HABITS, and Jamie in Kettle Moraine Playhouse’s production of NOW AND THEN. Big thanks to his family and friends for coming out to support him!
NICOLE MCCARTY (Narrator) started her career as a music teacher with a B.M. in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. After receiving an M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she’s focused more on performing and music directing in the Milwaukee area. With a strong background in performance, her most recent performance was as Sister Mary Martin-of-Tours in Sister Act the Musical with Skylight Music Theater. She has appeared in Spring Awakening with Skylight Music Theater, in Heathers with Outskirts Theater, in A Raisin in the Sun with Fleeing Artists, and in Three Little Birds with First Stage, among other roles.
Nicole has also made significant contributions to the Milwaukee theater scene as a music director, leading productions such as Annie Jr., Honk Jr., and Into the Woods Jr. with Lake Country Playhouse, and 101 Dalmatians Kids and Peter and the Starcatcher with Waukesha Civic Theater. Her work on Night of the Living Opera with Milwaukee Opera Theatre and A Christmas Carol with the Patio Players further showcases her versatility and dedication to the performing arts. Currently, Nicole serves as the music director at Wauwatosa Presbyterian Church, works at Brass Bell Music Store, and sings with the Montage funk band.
ERIC MADSON (Jack Lawson) is a local singer and actor who has performed in the Milwaukee area for 32 years on various stages and in various stages of life.
His favorite roles at LCP include Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd, Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher, and Robert in The Bridges of Madison County. Other notable roles include Rick and Willum in The Nerd, Thoreau in The night Thoreau spent in jail, and Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet. He regularly performs unrehearsed roles with Boozy Bard productions. He enjoys watching his super talented kids perform all over the region. He has a cat.
BRIAN MAXWELL (Henry Brown) has always been apart of theatre ever since he was in high school. He’s played multiple leading roles in short films and plays over the year. He won for Best Actor at a BESLA event in Chicago and was nominated for Best Performer in his role as George Gibbs in Our Town. He is dedicated and passionate about working on his craft and becoming more of a versatile actor.“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”-Philippians 4:13
WHAT CRITICS SAY:
"Mamet is most concerned with the power and treachery of language: a line of dialogue vital to the prosecution’s case is cynically rewritten by the defense. Mamet’s larger contention is that attempts to create a more equal and tolerant society have made race an unsayable word […] brilliantly contrives here a moment in which the single most taboo sexual expletive is ignored by an audience which then gasps at the word “black” […] Mamet remains American theatre’s most urgent five-letter word." - The Guardian
"Intellectually salacious […] Gripping […] Rapid-fire Mametian style […] Mamet’s new play argues, everything in America – and this play throws sex, rape, the law, employment and relationships into its 90 minutes of stage wrangling – is still about race." - Chicago Tribune