Experts Talk Back About David Mamet's RACE

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) added special postshow discussions to the West Coast premiere of David Mamet's controversial show Race, which opens tonight.

Experts Talk Back expands on A.C.T.'s regularly scheduled InterACT events, which allow the A.C.T. audience to delve deeply into the issues raised by the plays and to turn their theatergoing experience into a full night out with special parties and events. "Race says things that few people dare to say about racial and gender politics in America, and we know it will trigger fascinating debates within our audience. These new postshow discussions are a great way to continue the conversations this provocative play will spark," says A.C.T. Artistic Director Carey Perloff.

Experts Talk Back will feature legal and cultural specialists leading discussions about many of the provocative topics that percolate throughout the production:

Friday, October 28, 2011, following the 8 p.m. performance:
Regina Arnold, a former rock critic who teaches at Stanford University, leads a discussion about race and ethnicity in today's popular culture, moderated by Edward Budworth, A.C.T.'s group sales and student matinee representative.

Thursday, November 3, 2011, following the 8 p.m. performance:
Mary McNamara, a white collar criminal defense lawyer who was named one of the top 50 women lawyers in Northern California, leads a discussion moderated by Patrick S. Thompson, a partner at Goodwin Procter and a member of A.C.T.'s Board of Trustees.

Thursday, November 10, 2011, following the 8 p.m. performance:
Wilda L. White, executive director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law, and Jennifer Madden, deputy district attorney in Alameda County, lead a discussion moderated by Patrick S. Thompson, a partner at Goodwin Procter and a member of A.C.T.'s Board of Trustees.

Admission to all Experts Talk Back events is free with a ticket to Race; the discussions will take place in Fred's Columbia Room on the lower level of the American Conservatory Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco). The West Coast premiere of Race runs through November 13, 2011; tickets (starting at $10) are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or at www.act-sf.org.