Lydia R. Diamond
Photo/Bio from the UIC website
Lydia Diamond is a prolific playwright and teaching artist whose plays include Smart
People, Stick Fly, Harriet Jacobs, Voyeurs de Venus, The Gift Horse, The Inside, and her
adaptation of Toni Morrison’s novel, The Bluest Eye. Her early works were nurtured in
Chicago theatres like Congo Square, MPAACT and Chicago Dramatists, and have gone on
to enjoy productions around the country at theatres including: Arena Stage, Company
One, The Goodman, The Guthrie, The Huntington, Kansas City Rep, Long Wharf, The
McCarter, Second Stage, Steppenwolf, True Colors, and her Broadway run of Stick Fly at
the Cort Theatre on Broadway.
Her work has been commissioned by theatres including: Arena Stage, The Huntington,
The Humana Festival, The McCarter Theatre Co., The Roundabout, Second Stage,
Steppenwolf, and True Colors. She has been tapped by HBO to develop an original
series, and writes for Showtime’s The Affair.
Ms. Diamond is on demand as a speaker on the radio, at universities, conferences, and
institutes around the country. She has held fellowships and residencies at Harvard’s
Radcliffe Institute, The DuBois Institute at Harvard, Arena Stage, TCG/NEA Residency at
Steppenwolf, and was a resident playwright for over fifteen years at Chicago Dramatists.
Ms. Diamond is a graduate of Northwestern University, and has taught at DePaul,
Columbia College, Gallery 37, and was on faculty for eight years at Boston University.
The Bluest Eye
Synopsis, in Diamond's Words :
The Bluest Eye is the story of a young African American girl and her family who are affected in every direction by the dominant American culture that says to them,
"You're not beautiful; you're not relevant; you're invisible; you don't even count."
That is what is painful in the novel -- the way in which our country has dealt with race, the way in which the power structure has hurt us, and the way in which it has made us hurt ourselves. Often enough we African Americans don't get the opportunity to say "This is the source of my dysfunction, and it’s not all my fault."
To be shown that when you are young is painful, horrible. On the other hand, it is very affirming to have all these things made very clear and relevant; things that I knew were sick and wrong, things that touched me in these intangible ways, all made clear just by having the lives of people like me represented in literature.
- Lydia R. Diamond, Adaptor
Discussion Questions:
1) What are the advantages of telling Pecola's story from a child's point of view?
2) Discuss the symbolism of figures like Shirley Temple and Jean Harlow.
3) Discuss the significance of the marigolds.
4) What are the advantages of telling this story on stage?
5) Why adapt Toni Morrison's work from its original form?
6) Did knowing Cholly's past affect your reactions when learning that he rapes Pecola?
Activity:
1) In 2005, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company commissioned Lydia R. Diamond to adapt a stage version of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.
In groups of 3-4, have students discuss and decide on a book they would choose to adapt for the stage. Have each group present a 3-5 minute pitch on why they chose this book and why it should be adapted for the stage.
Smart People
Premiering in 2014, Smart People is a story of four intellectuals that focuses on the complexities of sexual and racial identity. Set in 2008, on the eve of Obama’s first election, this play poses questions about happiness, identity, and sexual and racial politics. Taking place around Harvard’s campus, Smart People centers around the lives of an actress, a surgeon, a psychologist, and a neuropsychiatrist who all share an interest in the brain’s response to race. Diamond brings these four characters to life through the use of quick, witty dialogue and vignettes. These vignettes offer the reader a window into the personal and professional lives of these characters as they each navigate issues of personal, sexual, and racial identity.
This play could serve as a springboard for fruitful conversation and exploration around identity and the nature of prejudice, as each character ultimately discovers these are issues even the smartest people cannot avoid.
Stick Fly
Stick Fly premiered in 2011 at the Cort Theatre on Broadway, marking Diamond’s Broadway debut. The play received critical acclaim, garnering awards such as the 2010 LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Production, Best Direction, and Best Ensemble Performance. Stick Fly reflects Lorraine Hansberry’s historic work from contemporary perspectives on family, race, and class (McCormick, 2012). However, whereas A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of a lower-class African American family, Stick Fly tells the story of the LeVay’s, an affluent African American family gathering at their vacation home in Martha’s Vineyard. The play unfolds to explore issues of race, privilege, familial secrets and dynamics as the LeVay brothers, Kent and Flip, introduce their significant others to the family.
This play could serve as a useful resource in any environment where topics of family, race, and privilege are being explored.
Comprehensive List of Plays
The Gift Horse (2001)
Voyeurs de Venus (2006)
The Bluest Eye (2007)
Stick Fly (2008)
Lizzie Stranton (2009)
Harriet Jacobs (2011)
Smart People (2016)
Toni Stone (2019)
Bibliography
Armstrong, Linda. “Lydia R. Diamond Talks about ‘Stick Fly.’” New York Amsterdam News, vol. 102, no. 52, 29 Dec. 2011, p. 18.
Armstrong, Linda. “Racism Focus of New Lydia R. Diamond Play.” New York Amsterdam News, vol. 107, no. 7, 11 Feb. 2016, p. 24.
Armstrong, Linda. “’Toni Stone’--Great Play about First pro Black Woman Baseball Player.” New York Amsterdam News, vol. 110, no. 27, 4 July 2019, p. 20.
Diamond, Lydia. “Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” Steppenwolf Commission, (Play script) 2006.
Diamond, Lydia R. Stick Fly. Samuel French, 2013.
Diamond, Lydia R. Smart People. Samuel French, 2017.
Grogan, Nathalie. “Director of 'The Bluest Eye' Speaks to Themes of Black Girlhood, Triumph, Storytelling.” The Daily Californian
Holcomb, Jo. “The Bluest Eye: Guthrie Theater.” Guthrie Theater
Mandell, Jonathan. “See What Sticks.” American Theatre, vol. 28, no. 10, Dec. 2011, pp. 40–44.
McCormick, Stacie Selmon. “Stick Fly (Review).” Theatre Journal, vol. 64, no. 3, 2012, pp. 441–444.
Rosenberg, Ruth. “Seeds in Hard Ground: Black Girlhood in The Bluest Eye.” Black American Literature Forum, vol. 21, no. 4, 1987, p. 435.
Sod, Ted. “Interview with Lydia Diamond.” Interview with Lydia Diamond – Roundabout Theatre Company
Timmel, Lisa. “Lydia R. Diamond: Complex Thought, Complex Pleasure.” Lydia R. Diamond: Complex Thought, Complex Pleasure | Huntington Theatre Company
Wooden, Isaiah Matthew. “The Complex Racial Politics OfSmart People.” Modern Drama, vol. 62, no. 2, 2019, pp. 171–190.
Young, Harvey, and Jocelyn Prince. “Adapting The Bluest Eye for the Stage.” African American Review, vol. 45, no. 1-2, 2012, pp. 143–155.
Young, Harvey. “The Bluest Eye (Review).” Theatre Journal, vol. 57, no. 3, 2005, pp. 525–527.
Information for this page compiled by A. Pagnozzi 2021