Stetson University Theatre Arts continues its 2021-22 season with Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, a piece of documentary theater that utilizes the words of people who experienced the Los Angeles riots, to examine the impact the riots had on the world.
Directed by Stetson Theatre Arts faculty member Dr. Julie Schmitt, the production runs Feb. 17-20 at Stetson’s Second Stage Theatre in the Museum of Art – DeLand, 600 N. Woodland Blvd. Admission is free.
This play is the result of interviews by Smith with more than 200 individuals, including gang members, artists, activists, police officers and “everyone in between.” The result is a piece of theater that challenges its audience to think critically about issues of race and class, and to consider the similarities between our past and our present.
“I think this play does a brilliant job of using the Rodney King police beating to reveal the ways in which the tentacles of racism permeate all aspects of our society,” said Schmitt. “One character in the play expresses outrage at being abused by police during the 1940s.”
“The Rodney King beating took place in [1991], and by producing this play today, we can’t help but make connections with the racial-justice reckoning that gained momentum in the summer of 2020 with the murder of George Floyd. This play forces us to confront racial injustices in policing that are centuries old,” Schmitt added.
The cast includes Ashley Hew, Hailey Jones, Izais Ocasio, Joshua Camden, Joshua Dennis, Liza Tananbaum, Maya Evans and Shay Figueroa.
The play will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 17-19, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 20.
Seating is extremely limited; reservations are strongly encouraged; masks are required. Tickets will be available at the door, and reserved tickets must be picked up 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance. The box office will be open one hour prior to curtain. Call 386-822-8700.
