Gregg T. Daniel to Direct TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 at the Mark Taper Forum

NYU's Tisch School of the Arts Graduate and NAACP Best Director winner Gregg T. Daniel will direct the new production of "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" by Anna Deavere Smith presented by Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum from March 8 through April 9, with opening set for March 15, 2023. Originally performed solo by Smith, "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" has been reimagined for a cast of five performers and will mark Daniel's Center Theatre Group directing debut.

"Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" draws on more than 300 interviews with politicians, activists, police, jurors, shopkeepers, and countless other Los Angelenos to explore the uprising sparked by the acquittal of the men charged in the Rodney King police brutality case. Through the words of these real people, "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" delves into the long-simmering tensions that set the stage for the L.A. Riots and explores the immediate impact on individual Angelenos and the community as a whole.

"This show is about such a consequential time in Los Angeles and Anna poured so much effort into making it a transformative, radical moment in theatre," Daniel shared. "Her journalistic approach to writing revolutionized theatre when she wrote 'Twilight,' and I am honored to work alongside her to breathe new life into this historic and revered play."

"I created 'Twilight' for the citizens of Los Angeles and based it on the 320 dynamic interviews I was able to conduct, with the invaluable support of the Taper," added Smith. "I spoke with individuals in nearly every corner of the city and its surroundings, all of whom had firsthand accounts of what was variously called the 'Los Angeles riots,' the 'uprising,' the 'revolution,' or simply 'the events in L.A.' depending on the point of view. Many politicians notably referred to it as 'the events in L.A.' This new version of the play, which I revised for five actors, will be an endeavor that is thoroughly local. I am very excited about collaborating with Gregg, whose resume speaks to years of experience and dedication to the theatre community of L.A."

Originally commissioned by Center Theatre Group, the solo show made its world premiere in May 1993, "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992"'s sold-out run in Los Angeles was followed by many successful revisions of the play, with each inviting a new group of collaborators. Those include a production at The Public Theater followed by a Broadway run and two Tony nominations; a national tour mounted at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre; a film produced by Ms. Smith and others in partnership with PBS; and the most recent reconceptualized production for five actors at the Signature Theatre in New York. New York Magazine hailed the reworked production as an "excellent revival. There's a moral thrill in the work that will never fade," while The New York Times named it a Critic's Pick and called the production, "as necessary now as when Los Angeles was actively smoldering."

Tickets for "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" are currently on sale and start at $35. They are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 628-2772 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation's preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles' leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, and in collaboration with the four Associate Artistic Directors, Lindsay Allbaugh, Tyrone Davis, Neel Keller, and Kelley Kirkpatrick, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1,600 to 2,100-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation's leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstance to serve Los Angeles. CenterTheatreGroup.org

Gregg T. Daniel

(Director). Denver Center Performing Art Center's world premiere of Beaufield Berry's, "In The Upper Room." August Wilson's, "Radio Golf," "Seven Guitars" "Gem of the Ocean" and "A Raisin In The Sun" at A Noise Within (Ovation Nominee-Best Production of a Play), Lanie Robertson's, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill" and Katori Hall's "The Mountaintop" at the Garry Marshall Theatre. West Coast premieres of Mfoniso Udofia's "Her Portmanteau" at Boston Court Theatre, Tearrance Arvelle Chisolm's "Br'er Cotton" for Lower Depth Theatre. With Rogue Machine Theatre, Lorraine Hansberry's "Les Blancs" (Ovation nominated, Best Director), the L.A. premiere of Greg Kalleres' "Honky" (nominated Best Director, Comedy), Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" at A Noise Within (Ovation nominated, Best Director) and a revival of Alice Childress' "Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White" for the Antaeus Company (Winner, Stage Raw Award-Best Revival, Best Ensemble). Regional work includes, Samm-Art Williams' "Home" for the International City Theatre (ICT) and the New Jersey premiere of Katori's Hall's "The Mountain Top," and Matthew Lopez's "The Whipping Man" at Cape May Stage. He is a recipient of the NAACP Best Director award for the International City Theatre's production of August Wilson's "Fences" (nominated L.A. Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, and StageScene L.A. awards). Gregg is a proud member of SDC and a Founding Member/Artistic Director of Lower Depth Theatre. He is married to actress Veralyn Jones.

Anna Deavere Smith

(Playwright) is a playwright and actress. She's credited with having created a new form of theater. Her plays, which focus on contemporary issues from multiple points of view, are composed of excerpts of hundreds of interviews. Plays and films based on them include "Fires in the Mirror" and "Twilight: Los Angeles," "Let Me Down Easy," and "Notes from the Field" about the school-to-prison pipeline. Her work as an actress on television includes: "Inventing Anna," "The West Wing," "Nurse Jackie" and "Black-ish." Mainstream movies include "Philadelphia," "The American President," "Rachel Getting Married" and Billy Crystal's new movie "Here Today." President Obama awarded Smith the National Endowment for the Humanities Medal. She's the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, several Obie awards, a Drama Desk award, and the George Polk Career Award in Journalism and the Dean's Medal from Stanford University School of Medicine. She was a runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize and nominated for two Tony Awards. She's a professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. She has several honorary doctorate degrees including those from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Spelman College, and Juilliard and Oxford.

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