Rasheeda speaking
Written by Joel Drake Johnson
Directed by Sandy Shinner
A World Premiere!
Featuring RTE Artistic Director Tara Mallen and Steppenwolf ensemble member Ora Jones with RTE member Eric Slater and Lorraine Freund
January 9 – February 15, 2014
"Give playwright Joel Drake Johnson 90 minutes of your time and four top-rate actors at the top of their game. You’ll get a more searing and nuanced discussion of racism in 2014 USA than mountains of academic tomes or pundits can deliver….it is unlikely that you will ever forget how the play gets its name–go see it to find out.” —Amy Munice for Splash Magazine
“Hysterical and disturbing…gasp-worthy…fantastic ensemble…pots get stirred.” —Katy Walsh for Chicago Theatre Beat
“Directed by Sandy Shinner with perfect pitch…thought-provoking. Not to be missed.” —Kelly Kleiman for ‘Dueling Critics’
JEFF Nominated for Best New Work!
A white physician attempts to oust his black receptionist by enlisting a white female coworker as a spy. Tensions rise as relations between the two women quickly deteriorate, turning their once-cordial workplace into a battlefield of innuendo, paranoia, and passive aggression. With trademark wit and close observation, Chicago favorite Joel Drake Johnson mines the subtleties of “post-racial” America to explore what we are really saying when we refuse to talk about race.
