Twilight - by Anna Deavere Smith (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From an acclaimed playwright comes "an American masterpiece" (Newsweek) about the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Twilight is a stunning work of "documentary theater" that explores the devastating human impact of the five days of riots following the Rodney King verdict. From nine months of interviews with more than two hundred people, Smith has chosen the voices that best reflect the diversity and tension of a city in turmoil: a disabled Korean man, a white male Hollywood talent agent, a Panamanian immigrant mother, a teenage black gang member, a macho Mexican-American artist, Rodney King's aunt, beaten truck driver Reginald Denny, former Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates, and other witnesses, participants, and victims.

A work that goes directly to the heart of the issues of race and class, Twilight ruthlessly probes the language and the lives of its subjects, offering stark insight into the complex and pressing social, economic, and political issues that fueled the flames in the wake of the Rodney King verdict and ignited a conversation about policing and race that continues today.

From the Back Cover

Twilight is Anna Deavere Smith's stunning new work of "documentary theater" in which she uses the verbatim words of people who experienced the Los Angeles riots to expose and explore the devastating human impact of that event. From nine months of interviews with more than two hundred people, Smith has chosen the voices that best reflect the diversity and tension of a city in turmoil: a disabled Korean man, a white male Hollywood talent agent, a Panamanian immigrant mother, a teenage black gang member, a macho Mexican-American artist, Rodney King's aunt, beaten truck driver Reginald Denny, former Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates, and other witnesses, participants, and victims. A work that goes directly to the heart of the issues of race and class, Twilight ruthlessly probes the language and the lives of its subjects, offering stark insight into the complex and pressing social, economic, and political issues that fueled the flames in the wake of the Rodney King verdict. Combining Smith's introduction exploring Twilight's evolution from the streets to the stage, the complete play script, and photos of the author in character, Twilight is a captivating work of dramatic literature - and a unique first-person portrait of a pivotal moment in current history.

Review Quotes

"An American masterpiece ... the heart and soul of an American tragedy, as expressed by the hearts and souls of the people who were part of it." --Newsweek

About the Author

ANNA DEAVERE SMITH is an actor, teacher, playwright, and the creator of an acclaimed series of one-woman plays based on her interviews with diverse voices from communities in crisis. She has won two Obie Awards, two Tony nominations for her play Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, and a MacArthur Fellowship. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her play Fires in the Mirror. She has had roles in the films Philadelphia, The American President, The Human Stain, and Rent, and she has worked in television on The Practice, Presideo Med, The West Wing, and Nurse Jackie. The founder and director of the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue, she teaches at New York University.