The Niceties
by Eleanor Burgess
by Eleanor Burgess
The Niceties is a thought-provoking play that explores the complex dynamics of race and reputation through the tense interaction between a black student and her white professor at an elite university.
About The Play
About The Play
★★★★ Four Stars, The Times
★★★★ Four Stars, Theatre Weekly
★★★★ Four Stars, West End Wilma
★★★★ Four Stars, LondonTheatre1
★★★★ Four Stars, ReviewsGate
OffWestEnd Award nomination for Female Performance in a Play – Moronkẹ Akinola
The European premiere of the hit Off-Broadway play The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess.
At an elite East Coast university, an ambitious young black student and her esteemed white professor meet to discuss a paper the college junior is writing about the American Revolution. They’re both liberal. They’re both women. They’re both brilliant. But very quickly, discussions of grammar and Google turn to race and reputation, and before they know it, they’re in dangerous territory neither of them had foreseen – and facing stunning implications that can’t be undone.
The Niceties is a complex and compelling depiction of racial and generational divides which speaks directly to our polarised, post-truth era, as it asks who gets to tell the story of America, and how.
Originally premiered at the Huntington Theatre, Boston, before transferring to Manhattan Theatre Club, New York City, The Niceties marks the European debut of a stunning new American playwright, Eleanor Burgess.
Post Show Discussion 11th October
Join us after the performance on Friday 11th October for a post-show discussion with the playwright Eleanor Burgess and actors Janie Dee and Moronke Akinola as they discuss The Niceties in development and performance. The event will be posted by Shanaé Chisholm and Nicola Watkinson, who have worked as embedded critics on this production of The Niceties. There will also be a chance to put your own questions to the team as they explore the play’s complex depiction of race and legacy in the 21st century.
The discussion will commence promptly after the performance at approximately 9:40pm and is expected to last approximately 30 minutes.
About the hosts
Shanaé Chisholm
Shanaé is a recent BA Media and Communications graduate, with a specialism in Creative Writing. Through her blogging, she aims to bring a unique perspective to theatre discourse by representing young, Black, female theatre enthusiasts.
Nicola Watkinson
Nicky is a cultural critic who writes and speaks on a range of arts and culture topics. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary work and work that tackles questions of form. She has a Master’s in contemporary literature and culture from UCL, and her academic research focuses on theories of identity, femininity, grief, the fragment, and translation. She has been writing about theatre and performance since 2015, and was the embedded critic on the Paper Birds’ show Ask Me Anything earlier this year.
No performances on Sundays, and on Friday 4 October, Saturday, 5 October and Friday, 25 October.
PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGES TO THE PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE, DUE TO ARTIST AVAILABILITY. WE APOLOGISE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE CAUSED.