Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company Announces
Smart People by Lydia R. Diamond
Julee Cerda
April 1, 2016 (Atlanta, GA) – Artistic Director Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company are proud to announce its production of the contemporary comedy, Smart People by Lydia R. Diamond. Directed by David De Vries, the play will star actors Danielle Deadwyler, Neal Ghant, and Joe Knezevich. Unfolding in the year leading up to Barack Obama’s inauguration, the play takes well-aimed shots at the illusion of a post-racial America. Posed with playful seriousness, the key question is this: Is a negative response to racial difference hardwired into our brains? Running July 12 – August 3, 2016 at Fulton County’s Southwest Arts Center’s Performance Theater.
The quest for love, achievement and identity is universal, but what role does race play in the story of our lives? On the eve of Obama’s first election, four Harvard intellectuals find themselves entangled in a complex web of social and sexual politics. A whirlwind of crackling dialogue and tricky questions are thrown at us by the fearless and funny Lydia Diamond (Stick Fly) in this provocative and funny play.Contains Adult Content. Recommended Ages 15+.
“Sexy, serious and very, very funny.” — Variety
Smart People will be in preview performances July 12-14, 2016 at 8 PM. Opening night is Juuly 15, 2016 and the show is running through August 3, 2016. Performances during the run are Wednesday – Saturday @ 8 PM and Saturday and Sunday @ 2:30 PM. All performances will be presented at Fulton County’s Southwest Arts Center’s Performance Theater at 915 New Hope Rd, Atlanta, GA 30331.
Tickets and Season Subscriptions are available by contacting Ticket Alternative @ 1.877.725.8849 or www.ticketalternative.com or through the True Colors website @ www.truecolorstheatre.org.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Lydia R. Diamond (b. Detroit, Michigan, April 14, 1969) is an American playwright. Her plays include: Here I Am…See Can You Handle It; The Inside, adapted from the poems of Nikki Giovanni; Stage Black; The Gift Horse; Stick Fly; Voyeurs de Venus; The Bluest Eye, adapted from Toni Morrison‘s novel; and Harriet Jacobs, adapted from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. Her play Stick Fly was produced on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on November 18, 2011. The producers include musician Alicia Keys, filmmaker Reuben Cannon and legendary Broadway producer Nelle Nugent. She holds a B.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies from Northwestern University and has taught at Loyola University, Columbia College, Boston University and with Chicago Dramatists Outreach Program.
CAST
JULEE CERDA (Ginny Yang) comes to Atlanta from New York City. Her most recent theater credits include: The Bloodline of Shadrick Grace (FringeNYC), Mad Dog Blues (Michael Chekhov Theater Company), Blue Window (Ward Theater Company), and Over the Asian Airwaves (Gene Frankel Theatre). On screen, Julee has recently appeared in “House of Cards”, “Orange Is the New Black”, and will be seen in Morten Tyldum’s upcoming film, Passengers. Other film credits include: The Intern and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. Other TV credits include: “Blue Bloods”, “Nurse Jackie”, “White Collar”, “The Family”, “Royal Pains”, “Allegiance”, and “Limitless”.
NEAL GHANT (Jackson Moore) Regional credits include: Glenn Gary Glenn Ross, A Christmas Carol, Shakespeare’s R&J (Alliance Theatre); Bus Stop, A Life in the Theatre, Tradin’ Paint (Theatre in the Square); Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Titus Andronicus (Georgia Shakespeare Festival). Film credits include “Remember the Titans”. He is currently Head Artistic Consultant for Giddeon Games, a company he and a childhood friend have built from the ground up. He also spends many a late weekend night performing hip hop music with his band Phace Oricalz.
DANIELLE DEADWYLER (Valerie Johnston) is elated to be back with Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre! Her most recent credits: Fetch Clay, Make Man (True Colors Theatre Company) Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, Nina (Horizon); Marisol, Angel (Theater Emory); The C.A. Lyons Project, Chaos Unit (Alliance). Other Atlanta credits: The Book Club Play (Horizon); Clybourne Park (Aurora); Dividing the Estate (Theatrical Outfit); Charlotte’s Web (Alliance); The Colored Museum (True Colors); Shakin’ the Mess Outta Misery (Horizon); for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf (True Colors Theatre Company). Deadwyler guest-starred as Quita on The Haves and the Have Nots. TV/Film credits: “A Cross to Bear” (UpTV); “Being Mary Jane” (BET); “Ir/Reconcilable” (HBO). Infinite thanks to Reggie, Ezra and family.
JOE KNEZEVICH (Brian White) – is honored to be making his True Colors debut. He has performed at the Alliance Theatre in favorites like August: Osage County, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. He was also an Associate Artist at Georgia Shakespeare appearing in Hamlet, One Man Two Guvnors, Much Ado About Nothing, The Glass Menagerie, Noises Off, Metamorphoses, Shrew: the Musical, and Richard III among others. TV: “The Vice-Principals”, “Bessie”, “Under the Dome”, “Revolution”, “Teen Wolf”, “The Vampire Diaries”. Film: Allegiant, 42, Parental Guidance, The Change Up. www.joeknezevich.com
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