When Jamel’s mother discovers her young son playing with a toy gun, she knows it’s time to explain the rules of the game to him – the rules of surviving as a Black man in America. In this explosive solo performance combining verse, prose and "sh**-talkin’,”Keith A. Wallace draws on his own youth in Philadelphia to examine the effects of racism, the question of excessive force used by police, and the value of Black lives in this country. Co-created and directed by Deborah Stein.

Originally developed for La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls Festival, The Bitter Game comes to The Clarice following its successful run at the Under the Radar Festival in New York City. The performance will be accompanied by a panel discussion featuring campus and community activists and law enforcement representatives.