Smart People

Racial Politics Dissected

When Barack Obama first came to power, some were quick to declare it a new 'post racial-era'. Set on the eve of his first election, Lydia R. Diamond's Smart People takes this notion to task, exploring our country's hugely complicated relationship to race through the lives of four Ivy Leaguers. A funny and tightly woven play, it received its world premiere in 2014 at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, where it enjoyed two extensions due to public demand.

This Off-Broadway production is helmed by Tony winner Kenny Leon (A Raisin in the Sun), and stars Joshua Jackson (Dawson's Creek, The Affair) Mahashala Ali (House of Cards, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 1 &2) and Tessa Thompson (Dear White People).

What Is Smart People About?

Set against the backdrop of Barack Obama's 2008 election, Smart People gathers together four Harvard intellectuals and examines the defining role that race still plays in their lives.

Brian is a professor whose theory that racism is hardwired into the brain is threatening to derail his career. His best friend, the African-American Jackson, is a surgical intern who feels that he constantly looked down upon by his mostly white superiors. Then there are their girlfriends, Asian-American Ginny and African-American Valerie. Together the foursome navigate their way through America's complex racial legacy.