Who Is Claudia Rankine?
0:47
After closing during previews in March 2020 due to the pandemic, The Shed presents the world premiere of Help, a new play by acclaimed author and poet Claudia Rankine (Just Us, Citizen: An American Lyric), directed by Obie Award-winner Taibi Magar (Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, Signature Theatre; Is God Is, Soho Rep). Derived from Rankine’s deep inquiry and ongoing investigation into white dominance, Help stars April Matthis (Toni Stone, Roundabout Theatre; Fairview, Soho Rep) as the Narrator, a Black woman who recounts Rankine’s real-life conversations with white people that take place in transitional spaces like airports. As the stories unfold through monologues and staged scenarios, Help explores how these conversations can go right, wrong, or raise new questions about our fragile democracy. Rankine’s body of work, for which she has been awarded MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships, crosses lyric poetry and prose essay to navigate questions of race, healthcare, loneliness, and what it means for a life to matter in American society today.
Related Videos
In From the Artist
-
Play video Maxwell Alexandre on Power and Prosperity in Painting
Maxwell Alexandre on Power and Prosperity in Painting
2:10
-
Play video Who Is Tomás Saraceno?
Who Is Tomás Saraceno?
Tomás Saraceno is an Argentine contemporary artist whose practice is informed by concepts linking art, life science, and the social sciences.
0:59
-
Play video Exploring Robert Moses
Exploring Robert Moses
A conversation with David Hare and Dan Doctoroff, moderated by Paul Goldberger.
37:06
-
Play video Behind Straight Line Crazy
Behind Straight Line Crazy
A conversation with Ralph Fiennes, Jamie Armitage, Nicholas Hytner, and David Hare, moderated by Madani Younis.
1:06:36
-
Play video Harriet A. Washington and Tomás Saraceno on Freeing the Air
Harriet A. Washington and Tomás Saraceno on Freeing the Air
Science writer and ethicist Harriet A. Washington joins Tomás Saraceno to discuss his new Shed-commissioned artwork, "We Do Not All Breathe the Same Air" (2019–22).
2:23
-
Play video Creating inclusivity through rehearsal ritual
Creating inclusivity through rehearsal ritual
Here from the creative and program team members behind Troy Anthony’s “Pericles,” presented in a workshop reading as part of The Fire Ensemble’s second year of residency at The Shed.
3:08