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  The Smart People Monologues

  Smart People opens with a cascade of overlapping monologues. Each character — Valerie, an actress; Brian, a neurobiologist; Jinny, a sociologist; and Jackson, a medical student — is in their professional element, a situation which is inevitably caught up in their class, race, and other markers of identity. As the play unfolds, Lydia R. Diamond reveals how each of the characters makes knee-jerk assumptions about the others; here, we give you a glimpse of the characters as you’ll meet them onstage.

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  Bias Is Not Black & White: Smart People & Implicit Social Cognition

  The cast of characters in Lydia R. Diamond’s Smart People features two academics whose areas of study involve the ongoing complexities of racial stereotypes, especially the grey area of unconscious bias. Learn more about the real-life inspiration behind this science.

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  What's So Funny About Our Racist Brains?

  Even though everyone should know better, we have ample proof our knee-jerk, and sometimes uncomfortable, assumptions go deep into the national psyche. But in her new play, Smart People, Lydia R. Diamond proves that a conversation about race can be funny, moving, nuanced, and probing.

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  Inside the Brain: Researchers Delve Into the Subconscious

  For most of the 20th century, researchers and theorists viewed racism as a pathology, focusing on radical expressions of racial hatred. In recent decades, however, our understanding of racism has shifted to the way in which most of us make tiny decisions every day that may express subconscious bias.

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  An Interview with Lydia R. Diamond

  Playwright Lydia Diamond’s work was last on the Huntington stage in 2010 with her hit play Stick Fly. In this interview, she takes us into the world of Smart People, her newest play.

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Audience Buzz

Features

• McKinley Belcher III Jackson Moore McKinley Belcher III Jackson Moore
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  McKinley Belcher III

  Jackson Moore

  McKinley Belcher III previously appeared in A Guide for the Homesick (2017), Smart People (2014), and Invisible Man (2013) at the Huntington.

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• Miranda Craigwell Valerie Johnston Miranda Craigwell Valerie Johnston
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  Miranda Craigwell

  Valerie Johnston

  Miranda Craigwell was a Huntington Playwriting Fellow, and appeared as an actress in Smart People. Her other regional acting credits include Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (Actors' Shakespeare Project), Selector in How We Got On and Oya / Shaunta Iyun in The Brother / Sister Plays (Company One), Shylock in The Merchant of Venice (Zero Point Theater), and more.Her film and television roles include Grace in Little Eyes (Beyond Measure Productions), Margaret in Four (Jam the Wimp productions), and Oona in the UK television series “Nightlife.”

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• Roderick Hill Brian White Roderick Hill Brian White
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  Roderick Hill

  Brian White

  Roderick Hill previously appeared in Smart People (2014) and What The Butler Saw (2004) at the Huntington. His Broadway credits include Butley (dir. Nicholas Martin) and Elton John’s Lestat.

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• Eunice Wong Ginny Yang Eunice Wong Ginny Yang
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  Eunice Wong

  Ginny Yang

  Eunice Wong appeared in Smart People (2014) at the Huntington. Her New York credits include Gretchen in Faust (Classic Stage Company), Jenny Chow in The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Atlantic Theater Company, Helen Hayes Award), the title role inAntigone and Adela in The House of Bernarda Alba (The National Asian American Theatre Company), and The Merchant of Venice and The Rivals (The Pearl Theatre Company). Ms. Wong trained at The Juilliard School and is also a circus aerialist.

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• Lydia R. Diamond Playwright Lydia R. Diamond Playwright
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  Lydia R. Diamond

  Playwright

  Lydia R. Diamond's plays include Smart People, Stick Fly, Voyeurs de Venus, The Bluest Eye, Harriet Jacobs, and Stage Black. She is currently a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and a playwright in residence at Arena Stage. Ms. Diamond is a graduate of Northwestern University where she majored in performance studies, holds an honorary doctorate of arts from Pine Manor College, and was on faculty at Boston University.

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• Peter DuBois Director Peter DuBois Director
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  Peter DuBois

  Director

  Peter DuBois is in his tenth season as Artistic Director at the Huntington where his directing credits include  Fall (2018), Tartuffe (2017), Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George (2016) and A Little Night Music , the world premieres of Gina Gionfriddo’s Can You Forgive Her? (2016), Lydia R. Diamond’s Smart People (2014), Evan M. Wiener’s Captors (2011), , Stephen Karam’s Sons of the Prophet (2011)(2012 Pulitzer finalist), Bob Glaudini’s Vengeance is the Lord’s and David Grimm’s The Miracle at Naples (2009); the regional premieres of A. Rey Pamatmat’s after all the terrible things I do (2015), Stephen Belber’s The Power of Duff (2013), Gina Gionfriddo’s Becky Shaw (2010) and Rapture, Blister, Burn (2013), and Craig Lucas’ Prelude to a Kiss (2010).

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• Alexander Dodge Scenic Design Alexander Dodge Scenic Design
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  Alexander Dodge

  Scenic Design

  Alexander Dodge returns to the Huntington having previously designed the sets for Bad Dates (2018); Tartuffe (2018); Bedroom Farce (2016); Smart People (2014); Rapture, Blister, Burn (2013); Good People (2012); The Miracle at Naples (2009); Boleros for the Disenchanted (2008); Brendan (2007); and many more.

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• Junghyun Georgia Lee Costume Design Junghyun Georgia Lee Costume Design
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  Junghyun Georgia Lee

  Costume Design

  Junghyun Georgia Lee is a Korean born designer based in New York. Her previous designs for the Huntington include Mike Lew's Tiger Style!, Kirsten Greenidge's Milk Like Sugar and the world premiere of Lydia R. Diamond's Smart People. Her regional work includes productions at theatres such as the Guthrie Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Triad Stage, Playmakers Repertory Company, Dallas Theater Center, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, and Center Stage.

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• Paul Gallo Lighting Design Paul Gallo Lighting Design
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  Paul Gallo

  Lighting Design

  Paul Gallo’s career spans more than three decades as he has designed the lighting for over 50 Broadway productions, including Smart People (2014) at the Huntington. He made his Broadway debut at the age of 27 and subsequently has been on Broadway for nearly 30 consecutive years.

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• M.L. Dogg Sound Design M.L. Dogg Sound Design
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  M.L. Dogg

  Sound Design

  M.L. Dogg previously designed The Who & the What, Milk Like Sugar, after all the terrible things I do, Smart People, The Power of Duff, Captors, Sons of the Prophet, and Rapture, Blister, Burn at the Huntington. His Broadway credits include Oh, Hello on Broadway and The Pee-wee Herman Show, and his Off Broadway designs include The Moors, Fade, The Ultimate Beauty Bible, Aubergine, Mercury Fur, Permission, Little Children Dream of God, Jacuzzi, A Walk in the Woods, Here Lies Love (co-design), The Open House, Core Values, Modern Terrorism, Sons of the Prophet, The Lapsburgh Layover, All New People, Trust, Monstrosity, The Language of Trees, Boom, A Hard Heart, and transFigures.
  

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• Nathan Leigh Projection Design Nathan Leigh Projection Design
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  Nathan Leigh

  Projection Design

  Nathan Leigh previously designed sound for the Huntington's production of Skeleton Crew (2018). Mr. Leigh has designed sound and composed original music for New York Theatre Workshop, Red Bull Theater, American Repertory Theater, Berkshire Theatre Group, The Debate Society (Gothamist, Best Sound Design 2007 for The Eaten Heart)...

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• Emily F. McMullen Production Stage Manager Emily F. McMullen Production Stage Manager
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  Emily F. McMullen

  Production Stage Manager

  Emily F. McMullen has stage managed 22 shows for the Huntington over the past 5 years, including Top Girls (2018), Bad Dates (2018), Tartuffe (2018), and Merrily We Roll Along (2017) this season.

   

  
  

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• Kevin Schlagle Stage Manager Kevin Schlagle Stage Manager
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  Kevin Schlagle

  Stage Manager

  Kevin Schlagle returns to the Huntington after previously working on Fall (2018), Skeleton Crew(2018), Tartuffe (2017), Merrily We Roll Along (2017), Ripcord (2017),Bedroom Farce (2016),Sunday in the Park with George (2015),Can You Forgive Her? (2016),Milk Like Sugar (2016),AConfederacy of Dunces (2015),after all the terrible things I do (2015),Come Back, Little Sheba (2015),Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (2015),Smart People (2014),Venus in Fur (2014),Our Town (2012),God of Carnage (2012),Ruined (2011),and Prelude to a Kiss (2010).

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