“GREAT PERFORMANCES” REMEMBERS RODNEY KING WITH “TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES”
Episode Highlights King and 1992 Los Angeles Riots Through One-Woman Show
PBS SoCaL® remembers the late Rodney King and the 20th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots with a re-airing of the “Twilight: Los Angeles” episode of “Great Performances” on Friday, June 29 at 10 p.m. PT. “Twilight: Los Angeles” highlights Anna Deavere Smith’s powerful one-woman/multi-voiced theater piece about the 1991 Rodney King beating, the violent aftermath of the 1992 verdict and the lasting impact of the Los Angeles riots on America's conscience.
The special is credited with inventing a new form of theater through a provocative blend of performance, social commentary and journalism designed to encourage a national dialogue about controversial issues. Smith interviews hundreds of people involved in the Rodney King event and the aftermath that took place in Los Angeles. She virtually "becomes" 30 real-life characters, recounting their stories verbatim, assuming their voices and mannerisms with chameleon like accuracy, and chronicling this complex tragedy from its many cultural perspectives.
For this film adaptation of Smith's acclaimed play "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992," award-winning director Marc Levin weaves Smith's virtuoso stage performance with news footage and interviews to create an unflinching portrait of rage, sorrow, loss and battered hope.
About PBS SoCaL
PBS SoCaL, formerly KOCE-TV, is Southern California’s PBS station dedicated to interactively educating, entertaining, and enlightening the greater Los Angeles area. With its three unique broadcast channels. PBS SoCaL HD, PBS OC, and WORLD TV, PBS SoCaL provides award-winning programs like Frontline, NewsHour, NOVA, Nature, and Masterpiece, as well as local productions Real Orange, SoCaL Insider With Rick Reiff, and Bookmark With Maria Hall-Brown. Through community outreach initiatives including PBS SoCaL Education, PBS SoCaL provides local schools access to new media materials that engage students in 21st century learning. Explore the future of PBS in Southern California at www.pbssocal.org.
