In this work, McAllister defines and explores whiting up, a long tradition in which African American actors, comics, musicians, and even everyday people have assumed white racial identities in a performative context. Whether in 19th century minstrel shows, in stage European performances where black actors take on white roles on the conventional stage, in musicals and satires crafted by a variety of African American dramatists, or in one-person shows by artists like Anna Devere Smith, McAllister argues that this form of cross-racial play creates unexpected intercultural alliances even as it inc.