The Defamation Experience
When race, class, religion and gender collide... a conversation begins.
“A brilliant, shifting jigsaw puzzle of a courtroom drama.The Defamation Experience holds the audience’s own prejudices and assumptions under a powerful lens, and does not let us go except by way of an unsettling self-examination. No one escapes the jury’s deliberations unchanged.”
— Rabbi Debra Kassoff, Jackson, MS
His play Defamation is a riveting courtroom drama that has been touring the United States live and virtually for the last 15 years. The storyline is compelling. A professional black woman is suing a Jewish real estate developer for defamation. For years, the tagline has been “when race, class, religion and gender collide… a conversation begins.”
The production comes with a twist: the audience is the jury.
He was inspired to write the play after a personal experience not only revealed the lack of diversity in his life, but also triggered a troubling self-examination about how it came to pass that he was living in “lily white” Winnetka.
Defamation has exceeded his wildest expectations. It has been performed more than 750 times in over 40 states and 14 countries. The venues represent a broad range including theaters, civic organizations, corporations, churches, synagogues, colleges, law schools, bar associations and high schools.
Today, it is called The Defamation Experience. Audiences watch a trial, openly deliberate, and participate in a facilitated post show discussion. The quality of the The Defamation Experience has made it one of the premiere diversity programming opportunities in the United States.
Yes. The irony. The arc of currents events is bending DEI towards DOA.
After the Trump executive orders, many colleges for fear of losing federal funding have shuttered their DEI offices and programs. Yes, they’ve scrubbed their websites of any mention of DEI.
Then, there is, of course, the mandate to scrub identity. Whether it’s the workplace or universities, distinctions are not supposed to be made. Regardless of our race and/or ethnicity, we are now all the same. Save gender. We have two choices male or female. Lucky us.
In the early years of The Defamation Experience, black people often expressed dismay when a white person said they didn’t see “color.” There was a black college professor famous for carrying at all times a box of crayons. When someone would say to him they didn’t see color, he tossed his crayons on the floor and asked, “do you not see color?”
Fortunately there are still institutions that see color. Unfortunately their numbers are dwindling and our bookings have suffered accordingly.
Now more than ever, The Defamation Experience and our sister program, Just Cause The Experience, are needed.
Another irony. When The Defamation Experience first started in 2011, DEI departments were few and far between. Shows were booked thru the offices of multiculturalism, dean of students, and either the provost or president’s offices.
When Covid hit, we could not tour live. Serendipitously, in 2013 the very fine production company HMS Media filmed a three camera shoot. The Tony nominated composer Lindsay Jones created a dramatic score.
Yes, thank you Zoom! We began presenting our programs virtually. That included the audience deliberations and the post show discussions. When students returned to the classroom, we continued to present virtually.
Today we offer a multitude of delivery options, including live deliberations and facilitated post show discussions and workshops.
Bias is part of our beat. Pardon our bias that we believe in Trump’s dystopian world Defamation and Just Cause (written by Lisa Dillman and Todd Logan) are vitally needed.
This week we’d like to share The Defamation Experience with you. Starting tomorrow we are going to release the film in five segments. You can watch them individually, several at a time or all at once. Ring an episodic streaming bell?
After, you will be able to vote anonymously for the plaintiff or the defendant. Of course, your comments will be welcome. We will post regularly where the jury stands.
We also encourage you to share The Defamation Experience.
Are we super excited? You betcha!
This invite comes with a gargantuan trigger warning. Our defendant Mr. Golden is Jewish. Like all of you he’s complicated. He’s smart, self-made, self-confident and imbued with certitude on steroids. He’s wealthy enough to live in a lakefront home in Winnetka and own a 5,000 square foot home in Lake Geneva. He belongs to a nearly all Jewish country club (yes, these clubs were started because Jews were excluded from Gentile clubs).
He also worries about the future of the Jewish people. He’s not happy that 50% of American Jews marry outside the faith. He feels strongly that his children should marry within.
Ms. Wade, the plaintiff, is entitled to the best defense. She has a terrific lawyer who puts Mr. Golden thru a withering cross-examination. This will make some of you uncomfortable. You may even be triggered. You may feel the play is perpetuating a negative stereotype.
If you are black you may also struggle. The issue in the courtroom is whether or not Mr. Golden falsely accused Ms. Wade of stealing an heirloom watch from his home. Yes, there is the line, “when the watch goes missing, must mean the black person took it.” Talk about a stereotype. Mr. Golden’s counsel, a black women, is brilliantly brutal in her cross-examination of Ms. Wade.
The goal of art is to elevate. Yes, sometimes to trigger, too. But with purpose to challenge audiences. Especially preconceived notions.
After the Hamas attack on Israel, we were able to strip out from the film any mention of Mr. Golden’s faith. We were being pragmatic. We knew our customer. They wanted a rich experience for their attendees. They wanted them to have difficult but courageous conversations guided by experienced facilitators. They wanted their attendees to leave both seeing thru a new lens and collectively empowered to communicate with compassion and empathy.
To paraphrase Walter Lippmann, there are those who judge and then see the person, and there are those who see the person first and then judge.
The latter is where our clients want their attendees to land.
The revised version of Defamation has been received very well. It’s a fit for today’s times.
The original, in our opinion, is even better and richer.
We are giving you this extensive trigger warning because, yes, you should know what you are about to see. At the venues where we perform, the attendees cannot opt out.
You can.
So, as we often say, grab your popcorn, snacks and drinks.
Welcome to The Defamation Experience! But remember—you are the jury.
For more information, visit https://canamacproductions.com/defamation
Defamation
by Todd Logan
Episode Listing:
Episode 01 | The Accusation | 17 min
Release Date: March 9, 2025
What started as a routine business meeting takes a sinister turn when successful entrepreneur Regina Wade is accused of stealing an heirloom watch from real estate mogul Arthur Golden. Watch Now »
Episode 02 | Under Fire | 18 min
Release Date: March 10, 2025
Mr. Golden’s attorney, Ms. Allen, proves formidable as she attempts to chip away at Ms. Wade’s testimony. Then, Lorraine Jordan—previously Ms. Wade’s biggest client—takes the stand. Why did she suddenly cut ties? Watch Now »
Episode 03 | A Man’s Word | 11 min
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Mr. Golden finally gets a chance to speak in his own defense. A man of wealth and influence, he presents himself as the true victim— an honest businessman whose trust was betrayed. Watch Now »
Episode 04 | Cracks in the Foundation | 16 min
Release Date: March 12, 2025
Regina Wade’s lawyer, Mr. Lawton, tries to dismantle the businessman’s testimony with a withering cross-examination while raising the possibility that his accusation was based on more than just a missing watch. Watch Now »
Episode 05 | A Question of Justice | 20 min
Release Date: March 13, 2025
With the final cross-examination of Ms. Wade, Ms. Allen powerfully challenges Ms. Wade’s motivation, as well as her contention that she did not steal the watch. Watch Now »
Do You Know This Man?: An Irreverent Memoir is an ongoing exploration of the one character who eludes, confounds and mystifies. Me. Right now, it’s available for free, including being able to listen to some of my plays and dive into the best of Sportscape Magazine.
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