Island City Stage Opens THE NICETIES By Eleanor Burgess

Race, history and power clash in a riveting, provocative confrontation between a brilliant black student and her professor. In this taut drama by Eleanor Burgess, as "The Niceties" are stripped away, you'll find it harder to choose a side - and wondering if winning is really an option. The play opens April 2 at Island City Stage and will be made available to stream on April 16.

Director Michael Leeds is passionate about the play. "What struck me about The Niceties was realizing that even the most progressive and educated people in our community have allowed systemic racism to thrive, often while claiming that they didn't have a racist bone in their body. We spend so much of our time berating the far right for being racist, but we don't often look to ourselves to see how we might be perpetuating the system. We're always the "nice" guys. But what happens when we get beyond the niceties? That's why this is great theater; it forces us to think about how to create change in ourselves and our society."

The production stars recent FAU graduate Rachel Bryant and Lisa King, a visiting artist from Rhode Island. Island City Stage's design team returns with scenic and lighting by Ardean Landhuis, sound by David Hart, costumes by W. Emil White and props by Denise Proffitt. Preston Bircher is the stage manager.

"The Niceties" opens Friday April 2 and runs through Sunday April 18. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 5:00pm. All performances are at Island City Stage, 2304 N. Dixie Hwy in Wilton Manors. Streaming performances will be available April 16-25. For patron safety, Island City Stage is operating at fifty percent capacity. Temperatures of all patrons are taken upon entrance to the theater and masks are required to be worn by patrons and staff throughout the performance. For tickets for either live or video performances go to islandcitystage.org