Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre to Stage Anna Deavere's Smith's TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre will stage Anna Deavere Smith's award-winning one-woman play TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 from September 16 - 26, 2021, with Chicago actress Jazzma Pryor portraying nearly four-dozen people who were connected either directly or indirectly to the 1992 Los Angeles riots that erupted after the trial and acquittal of the police officers accused of assaulting Rodney King. Fleetwood-Jourdain Artistic Director Tim Rhoze, who will direct the production, made the announcement today.

Pryor's many theatre credits include DOUBT: A PARABLE for Irish Theatre of Chicago, HANNAH AND MARTIN and CRIME AND PUNISHMENT for Shattered Globe, and FROM THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA and SUNSET BABY for Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre.

Rhoze has been Artistic Director since 2010 of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatres, where he directed many productions, including his own script for MAYA'S LAST POEM and his scripts co-written with Stephen Fedo and co-produced with Piven Theatre Workshop: BLACK BALLERINA, and A HOME ON THE LAKE. His acting credits include roles with such companies as Steppenwolf, the Goodman, Northlight, and the Manhattan Theatre Club on Broadway.

TWILIGHT takes Smith's interviews with more than 300 people about their reactions to the events related to the 1992 riots, and weaves them into a series of monologues and real-life "characters." Her script depicts such public officials as LAPD chief Daryl Gates and Congresswoman Maxine Waters; a nameless juror on the police trial; victims and instigators of violence in South Central; and residents of greater Los Angeles with their own view of the events, including opera singer Jessye Norman and actor Charlton Heston. The original Broadway production was nominated in 1994 for a Tony Award for Best Play and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show. THE NEW YORK TIMES called it "a rich, panoramic canvas of a national trauma" and praised it for its "its restless intelligence and passionate understanding." A feature film version, with Smith reprising her performance, was released in 2000, and the play will be revived this fall in New York City by the non-profit Signature Theatre Company.

INFORMATION

TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992
Written by Anna Deavere Smith
Performed by Jazzma Pryor
Directed by Tim Rhoze
September 10-26, 2021
Saturdays at 7 pm and Sundays 3 pm
No late seating
To ensure the safety of audiences and performers, we ask that all patrons be vaccinated and wear masks during the performance.
Noyes Cultural Arts Center
927 Noyes St., Evanston, IL 60201 (east of Ridge Ave.)
847-866-5914
Tickets $25.00
www.fjtheatre.com

Anna Deavere Smith's performance piece TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992, directed by Tim Rhoze and featuring Jazzma Pryor, tells the story of the Los Angeles riots in the aftermath of the 1991 Rodney King beating, from a variety of perspectives. Smith has collected fragments of monologues derived for actual interviews that both invite and provoke conversation. This timely, powerful performance play raises questions about race, power, truth, and justice. It reveals how myths, misinformation, and misunderstanding can lead not only to prejudice and stereotyping but also violence.

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