After beginning performances October 12, Signature Theatre’s revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 officially opened at The Pershing Square Signature Center’s Irene Diamond Stage November 1.
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 follows the aftermath of the L.A. riots, sparked by the acquittal of Rodney King. At the time, Smith responded by interviewing over 350 people, eventually finding space to create a through-line of monologues that explores the unrest.
Go Inside Opening Night of the Off-Broadway Revival of Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
While the play was originally performed by Smith as a solo piece on Broadway in 1994, the Signature Theatre revival features an ensemble cast comprised of Elena Hurst, Wesley T. Jones, Francis Jue, Karl Kenzler, and Tiffany Rachelle Stewart.
“Sadly, the play is still relevant on many fronts,” Smith explained in a previous statement. “The gentleman who took the video of Rodney King being beaten was apparently testing out his camera for the first time. The video of Rodney King is the first time that a beating was seen by the world and in fact, went viral, if viral was even a word used then. None of us would have known about George Floyd’s murder had it not been for a cell phone video. By the time of Floyd’s killing, citizens were more likely to document police brutality; it is also likely that public outrage following the verdict on the LAPD informed how the verdict on Chauvin came out. We shall see if the current conversation about racial and economic inequality lasts longer and is more effective than the one sparked by the civil unrest in Los Angeles following the verdict.”
Directed by Taibi Magar, the revival features scenic design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Alan C. Edwards, sound design by Darron L West, projection design by David Bengali, and casting by Caparelliotis Casting and X Casting. Michael Leon Thomas is the movement coach, Dawn-Elin Fraser is the dialect coach, Ann James is the sensitivity specialist, and Charles M. Turner III is the production stage manager.
For the week ending October 31, a total of 27shows played 183performances at 77.52 capacity. Total attendance was 168,169 and total gross was 19,663,438.
Emmy, Grammy, and Six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald will return to Broadway starring in Ohio State Murders by Adrienne Kennedy, directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon Fences, A Soldier’s Play.
Irish Arts Center, a multidisciplinary cultural institution for Irish and Irish American artists, will open its new home in December with a newly annoucned roster of theatre, dance, music, and visual art programming. The new 21,700 square foot facility is located at 726 11th Avenue, adjacent to IAC’s current home.
IAC acquired the new space, once Cybert Tire, from the city in 2007, and began a decade of fundraising for the new venue. The $60 million dollar transformation will feature a flexible performance space designed by Davis Brody Bond with theatre design firm Fisher Dachs Associates and acoustic design by Jaffe Holden Acoustics, as well as a new studio for classes, a library, patron lounge, and atrium.
“The new Irish Arts Center is a dream realized and a tribute to the broad coalition of people in New York and Ireland who have brought it to life, at a time when we so eagerly need a place to come together with inspiration and hope,” said Irish Arts Center Executive Director Aidan Connolly. “But it’s only the beginning. Our opening season is a statement of promise and possibility. We invite artists and audiences of all backgrounds to see themselves in this welcoming new home.”
The theatrical season at the new Irish Arts Center begins with Camille O’Sullivan’s Where Are We Now?, an evening of music from the Cork-born Irish-French cabaret performer, running December 4–31. The season continues in 2022 with Enda Walsh’s The Same, starring sisters and celebrated Irish theatre actors Eileen and Catherine Walsh; Good Vibrations: A Punk Rock Musical, a co-production with Lyric Theatre Belfast about punk legend Terri Hooley; and Chekhov’s First Play, a deconstruction of Chekhov’s Platonov from the Irish experimental theatre company Dead Centre.
In addition to theatrical programming, the Irish Arts Center season also includes a slate of contemporary dance from artists Oona Doherty, Mufutau Yusuf, Seán Curran, and Darrah Carr; and live music from artists including Martin Hayes, Ye Vagabonds, Anna Mieke, and Pillow Queens. IAC will also host several film screenings, visual art installations, and literary events.
