About the Play:

Smart People is a full-length dramatic comedy by Lydia R. Diamond. On the eve of Obama's first election, four "smart people" of various races find themselves entangled in a complex web of social and sexual politics. Fiercely clever dialogue and energetic vignettes keep the laughs coming in this provocative and funny play that explores the deep questions of race and identity.

Smart People shows that no matter how well we think we understand the influence of race on human interaction, it still manages to get in the way of genuine communication and connection. It is the eve of Obama's first election. This funny and thought-provoking play gives us four characters all associated with Harvard: a young African American actress cleaning houses and doing odd jobs to pay the bills until her recently earned M.F.A. starts to pay off; a Chinese and Japanese American psychology professor studying race and identity in Asian American women; an African American surgical intern; and a white professor of neuroscience with a shocking hypothesis, researching the way that our racial perceptions are formed. As their relationships evolve, the four discover that their motivations and interpretations are not as pure as their wealth of knowledge would have them believe. Like all smart people, they are also searching for love, success, and identity in their own lives. But what influence does race have on that quest? Lydia Diamond brings these characters together in this sharp, witty play about social and sexual politics.

Smart People had its premiere at Boston's Huntington Theatre in 2014 and premiered Off-Broadway in 2016 at Second Stage Theatre. The play enjoyed widespread acceptance among leading US regional theatres, and premiered in Canada in 2017 at Studio 16 in Vancouver.

Cast: 2 female, 2 male

What people say:

"...a sexy, serious, and very, very funny modern-day comedy of manners." — Variety

"Seldom do contemporary American plays tap so directly into the cultural conversation as it's happening." — The Hollywood Reporter

"...crisp and clever dialogue...Smart People is very funny because it reflects a very sympathetic human foible; the desire to resolve our racial conflicts without messing things up every time we open our mouths." — Broadwayworld.com

"Smart People is a great ride; I loved every talky minute of it." — Deadline

"Splendid! Diamond...draw[s] laughs even as she firmly pushes back against the notion that we're living in a 'post-racial society'." — Boston Globe

About the Playwright:

Lydia R. Diamond is an African American playwright and professor. Her plays have been produced across the US, receiving the Lorraine Hansberry Award for Best Writing, an LA Weekly Theater Award, and a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. A former Radcliffe Institute Fellow and a graduate of Northwestern University, she has taught at Columbia College Chicago, DePaul University, Loyola University, and Boston University.