At the Aronoff Center, February 4th through 8th, acclaimed actress Torie Wiggins gives voice to dozens of perspectives on race, justice and violence in America, starring in Anna Deavere Smith’s award-winning play TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992.
The play is being presented in the Fifth Third Theater at the Aronoff Center, with Wednesday through Saturday performances at 7:30 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m.
TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 was nominated for the 1994 Tony Award for Best Play. The playwright, Anna Deavere Smith, first performed it as a one woman show, which she later recreated in a filmed production in 2000.
In this Cincinnati production, much as in Anna Deavere Smith’s original production back in 1994, Torie Wiggins takes on the challenge of a single actor portraying a wide variety of characters. Gang members, police officers, activists and shopkeepers of every race have a voice in TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992. This American masterpiece uses the verbatim words of people who experienced the Los Angeles riots to expose and explore the human impact of that event.
Ms. Wiggins gives voice to the diversity and tension of a city in turmoil. This production of TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992, directed by Brian Isaac Phillips, goes directly to the heart of issues of race and class. The play probes the language and the lives of its subjects, offering stark insight into the complex social, economic and political issues that fueled the flames in the wake of the Rodney King verdict.
Though the play was written more than two decades ago, TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 is particularly timely. The Rodney King verdict spawned the LA Riots of 1992. More recent events in Missouri, New York and even closer to home are well known. Members of the audience may find themselves asking:
How much have things changed since then? Or not?
Torie Wiggins, the performer, is a graduate of UC CCM with a BFA in Dramatic Performance. She has co-adapted and performed a one-woman show, Your Negro Tour Guide, and toured with it across the country. She has appeared on All My Children and the feature film Love Me Through It. Her Cincinnati credits include Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party, Collapse, Afghan Women Writer’s Project, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Pluto, and Harry and the Thief (Know Theatre of Cincinnati) and The Mountaintop (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati). She also appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and performed the title role in Black Pearl Sings! at ETC, for both of which she was nominated for an LCT Award. She most recently made her debut at Human Race Theater Company as Vera Charles in Mame.
The sound and projections design for the show is by Doug Borntrager, and the lighting designer is Dan Winters.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Aronoff Center box office at 650 Walnut Street, online at CincinnatiArts.org, or by phone at (513) 621-2787 [ARTS].
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About Diogenes: Diogenes Theatre Company is an Ohio nonprofit corporation. Diogenes produces theatrical works showcasing the talents of some of the best theatre professionals in the Greater Cincinnati area. The company’s first production, “BIBI” by Kalman Kivkovich, was presented at the Aronoff Center in 2014.
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