‘A Rap on Race’

Known for her “documentary theater,” actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith broke out in the 1990s with explosive one-woman shows that mined historic documents for insights on race, class, gender, violence and power. Deavere Smith took a similar approach with “A Rap on Race,” created with choreographer Donald Byrd of Seattle’s Spectrum Dance Theater. Their 2016 piece uses a conversation between author James Baldwin and anthropologist Margaret Mead (recorded in 1970) as the basis for a new exploration of race. Byrd plays Baldwin while actress Kathryn Van Meter plays Mead, with the pair performing both verbal and choreographed duets inspired by the tapes. (7:30 p.m. Sat., Ordway Music Theater, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, $18, 651-224-4222, ordway.org)

Sheila Regan