The Other Theatre Company Makes its Chicago Debut with Anna Deavere Smith's TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 at the Chopin Theatre, January 23 - February 22

Jason W. Gerace Directs the Poignant Meditation on Identity, Race, Power and Perception Recounting Events Surrounding the 1992 L.A. Riots Constructed Using Interviews Conducted by Anna Deavere Smith

CHICAGO –Artistic Director Carin Silkaitis is proud to announce the launch of The Other Theatre Company, a new Equity theatre company, and its debut production, Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. The production, directed by Jason W. Gerace, will play at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., January 23 – February 22. Previews are Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. Opening/Press night is Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. (NOTE: performance times have been updated as of January 12). Preview tickets are $20 with the regular run tickets $25 and may be purchased at buzzonstage.com/theatres/other-theatre-company. For more information, please visit theothertheatrecompany.com.

The Other Theatre Company chooses to revisit Smith’s play to examine and open a dialogue on the systems of injustice leading to seemingly unconnected pivotal moments in U.S. history, the Los Angeles riots of 1992, the recent shooting of Michael Brown and the death of Eric Garner from a NYPD officer’s chokehold, and their repercussions in the nation today. Following the 1992 acquittal of four white police officers for brutally beating Rodney King, a black man, at the end of a high-speed chase, Los Angeles was thrust into a world of outrage and chaos witnessed by the entire globe. A solo piece transformed into a multiple actor performance, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 captures fragments of this volatile moment in 20th century U.S. race relations known commonly as the L.A. riots. Constructed using real life interviews conducted by Smith during the riots and using verbatim dialogue, the play details conflicting perceptions of relationships between race, ethnicity, class, power, violence and resistance, each told by those with drastically different stakes in this historic struggle.

The cast for Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 includes: Toya Turner (Principle 1), Danielle Pinnock (Principle 2), Carolyn Molloy (Principle 3), Tanya McBride* (Principle 4), Mary Winn Heider (Principle 5), and Leena Kurishingal (Principle 6).

*Indicates member of Actor’s Equity Association

The production team for Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 includes: Jason W. Gerace^ (director) and Lizzie Bracken^ (scenic designer). Additional production team members will be announced at a later date.

^Indicates member of The Other Theatre Company’s Collective

ABOUT PLAYWRIGHT ANNA DEAVERE SMITH
Anna Deavere Smith is an actress, playwright and New York University professor who is most popularly known for her longtime acting roles in NBC’s The West Wing and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. With a long stage career spanning New York City’s Off-Broadway and Broadway circuit and beyond, Smith became most well-known onstage for her documentary theatre style in plays such as her Fires in the Mirror and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, both of which she was featured as the sole performer playing a multitude of diverse characters. Both productions earned her the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show two years in a row. Her film career includes roles in Philadelphia, The American President, Rent and Rachel Getting Married. She was the 1996 recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship “genius grant,” has received honorary degrees from 20 different higher education institutions, and recently received the 2012 National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, among other honors and achievements.

ABOUT DIRECTOR JASON W. GERACE

Jason W. Gerace has directed and associate directed for theater companies throughout Chicagoland including Profiles Theatre, Fox Valley Repertory, American Theater Company, Northlight Theatre and at RedTwist where he directed the Chicago premieres of Opus. He was born in Anchorage, Alaska and holds an MFA in directing from The University of Oklahoma. His credits include Hamlet (Oklahoma Summer Shakespeare), The Miracle Worker (Theatrikos), Love Letters (Theatre Works), Antigone, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatre for Young People), and Godspell (New School for the Arts). Gerace also assisted PJ Paparelli on his Chicago debut, the regional premiere of Speech & Debate, which was nominated for a Jeff Award for direction of a play. He was awarded the Rupel J. Jones award for excellence in directing for his production of Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, and again for directing his own original work, The Arthur Miller Project for OU University Theatre. He is an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and a member of The Arthur Miller Society. Gerace received the 2013-14 Non-Equity Jeff Award in Outstanding Direction for his production of Great Expectations at Strawdog Theatre Company; the production will be remounted in the November of 2014. He is currently artistic associate at American Theater Company and a Collective member at The Other Theatre Company.

ABOUT THE OTHER THEATRE COMPANY

The Other Theatre Company is dedicated to telling the stories of individuals or groups who are “othered” or marginalized in society. Comprised of activists who openly express their opinion on the various issues presented in the media and beyond, The Company engages their audience in a dialogue through performance and educational outreach. The Other Theatre Company believes in and fights for equality and rejects cultural hegemony.

The Other Theatre Company makes its Chicago debut with the company’s initial production, Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, directed by Jason W. Gerace, playing at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St., January 23 – February 22. Previews are Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 25 at 4 p.m. Opening/Press night is Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. (NOTE: performance times have been updated as of January 12). Preview tickets are $20 with the regular run tickets $25 and may be purchased at buzzonstage.com/theatres/other-theatre-company. For more information, please visit theothertheatrecompany.com.

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