The theatrical adaptation of Native Son is rarely produced, and the way it treats delicate racial and social issues doesn’t make it difficult to see why. The Richard Wright novel on which the play is based tells the story of a young black man from Chicago’s South Side who becomes an unrepentant killer. The American Century Theater will provide a context for the play by hosting a “variety of post-performance programs” with cast, designers, and crew after each performance that will give audience members an opportunity to discuss what the play—written by Wright and Paul Green, whom Orson Welles introduced to Wright after convincing him to bring the novel to the stage—means to them.

THE PLAY RUNS WED.—SAT. AT 8 P.M. AND SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AT 2:30 P.M., TO MAY 9, AT THE GUNSTON ARTS CENTER, 2700 S. LANG ST., ARLINGTON. $25–$28. (703) 998-4555.