The Niceties to Join Geffen Playhouse 2018-19 Season

Geffen Playhouse will present the West Coast premiere of The Niceties, written by Eleanor Burgess and directed by Kimberly Senior. This world-premiere production of The Niceties is currently running at McCarter Theatre Center in New Jersey, and replaces Antigone in the Geffen Playhouse 2018-19 season lineup.

The Niceties is described as follows: "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 production features Lisa Banes (Present Laughter) as the professor, Janine, and Jordan Boatman (Hulu's The Path) as the student, Zoe. The play's world premiere was coproduced in the 2018-19 season by the Huntington Theatre Company and McCarter Theatre Center.

The creative team includes Cameron Anderson (set design), Kara Harmon (costume design), D.M. Wood (lighting design), Elisheba Ittoop (original music and sound design), and Alaine Alldafer (casting direction).

Previews for The Niceties begin April 9 in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse ahead of an April 17 opening. Performances will run through May 12.