Artistic Director Ellen McDougall’s critically acclaimed first season at the Gate Theatre continues with the announcement of an extension of Anna Deavere Smith's seminal verbatim play Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Due to an unprecedented demand for tickets, the production will now play until 10 February.

Artistic Director Ellen McDougall said,
‘I am thrilled we are extending this timely revival of Anna Deavere Smith's extraordinary play, so that even more people will have the chance to see it. This urgent and direct conversation about race has seen unprecedented early demand for tickets. It's wonderful to see the confidence our audience has in the high quality of work at the Gate. ‘

Actress Nina Bowers plays over 20 roles in the new production which is directed by Ola Ince and has a press night on 15 January. Rehearsal images here.

This is a city at war with its own children.
When the policemen accused of assaulting young, black taxi driver Rodney King were acquitted, deadly riots broke out across LA, laying bare the recurring pattern of racial oppression and police brutality in America.
For this ground-breaking piece of verbatim theatre, Anna Deavere Smith interviewed hundreds of people from police commissioners to Rodney King’s family about those devastating few days in the summer of 1992. These are their words.

Nina Bowers made her acting debut in Tomorrow I’ll Be Twenty for Complicite. She wrote and co-devised Nina Talks About Her Values which was performed at Camden People’s Theatre as part of the Camden Fringe 2017. She is a co-founder of the theatre duo Two Much Company.

Anna Deavere Smith, also an actor, is perhaps best known for playing Nancy McNally in The West Wing and Gloria Akalitus in Nurse Jackie. Her plays include Fires in the Mirror, House Arrest, Let Me Down Easy and The Arizona Project. Her playwriting process involves interviews with scores of individuals. Her writing primarily focuses on a topic of civic and political interest. Smith is the recipient of numerous awards, among them the National Humanities Medal, presented to her by President Obama in 2013. She has been the recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Award, The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, two Obie Awards and two Tony Award nominations. She was runner up for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for her play Fires in the Mirror. Honorary degrees include those from Yale University, Juilliard, Barnard, the University of Pennsylvania, Radcliffe, Wesleyan, Williams College and Northwestern University, as well as many others.

Director Ola Ince was the 2016 Genesis Future Director Award winner and Artistic Associate at Lyric Hammersmith and Theatre Royal Stratford East. Her directing credits include Start Swimming (Young Vic & Summerhall), White Sky (RWCMD & Gate Theatre), Broad Shadow (National Theatre), Dutchman(The Clare, Young Vic Theatre) and Rachel, The Soft of Her Palm (Finborough Theatre). As Associate Director, her credits include Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith), Tipping the Velvet (Lyric Hammersmith & Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh), Fog (UK tour). As Assistant Director her credits include Shakespeare Trilogy (Donmar Warehouse & St. Ann’s Warehouse), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Dara, A Taste of Honey (National Theatre), Porgy & Bess (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Josephine & I (Bush Theatre) and Wild Swans (Young Vic Theatre).

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 is designed by Jacob Hughes. Jacob graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2011 and was a finalist in the Linbury Prize for Stage Design that same year. He has since been nominated for Best Set Designer in the Off West End awards, Wales Theatre awards and has exhibited his work in the Society of British Theatre Designers exhibition Make:Believe. In 2016 Jacob became the National Theatre's first recipient of the Max Rayne Design Bursary Award. Design credits include Broad Shadow (National Theatre), Start Swimming at The Young Vic and Treasure Island at Watford Palace.

Lighting design is by Anna Watson whose theatre credits include: Box of Delights (Wilton’s Music Hall); King Lear (Shakespeare’s Globe) Becoming: Part One (Donmar); Snow in Midsummer (RSC); The Seagull, Shopping and Fucking (Lyric Hammersmith); Dutchman / The Secret Agent / Fireface / Disco Pigs / Sus (Young Vic) You for Me for You / Plaques & Tangles / A Time to Reap (Royal Court) The Chronicles of Kalki (The Gate); The Roaring Girl (RSC); Bank on it (Theatre-Rites / Barbican); ; Salt, Root and Roe (Donmar); On the Record / It felt empty when the heart went at first, but it’s alright now (Arcola); Paradise / Salt (Ruhr Triennale, Germany); Gambling / This Wide Night (Soho Theatre); Rutherford and Son / Ruby Moon (Northern Stage); … Sisters (Headlong); King Pelican / Speed Death of the Radiant child (Drum, Plymouth). Opera credits include: Don Carlo (Grange Park) Orlando ( WNO and Scottish Opera); Ruddigore (Barbican, Opera North and UK Tour); Critical Mass (Almeida); Songs from a Hotel Bedroom / Tongue Tied (Linbury ROH); The Bartered Bride (Royal College of Music); Against Oblivion (Toynbee Hall). Dance credits include: Mothers (The Place); Refugees of a Septic Heart (The Garage); Soul Play (The Place); View from the Shore / Animule Dance (Clore ROH ).

Sound Designer Max Perryment is a London, U.K. based Composer and Sound Designer who has composed music for numerous television commercials. Recent clients include: Nokia, London and Partners, Johnnie Walker, Land Rover, The Singleton, Godiva, The Co-op, Raffles, Volvo, Thomson’s Holidays, Amazon, Magnet Kitchens, GQ, Booking.com, Liverpool One, Continental, Berkley Homes, Jacamo, Barclay’s, Simply Be, Neville Johnson and Zoopla.

He has composed music and sound designed productions at The Young Vic, The Bristol Old Vic, Hampstead Theatre, The Other Palace (formerly St James’ Theatre), The Gate, Southwark Playhouse, Orange Tree Theatre, The Vaults, Hope Mill Theatre, The Bunker, Ovalhouse and Theatre 503. Max also writes music for contemporary dance and has been the resident composer for Made By Katie Green since 2010. Max is a founding member of the band Escapists who have played Reading and Leeds Festival as well as supporting Manic Street Preachers and Imagine Dragons on their U.K. tours.

An In Conversation event with David Lammy MP will take place on Monday 22 January following the evening performance of Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. The event will explore questions such as why people riot, the politics of the judicial system, and the relationship between politicians and communities in times of unrest.


Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
11 January – 10 February at 7.30pm
Wednesday matinees at 3pm on 24, 31 Jan & 7 February
Saturday matinees at 3pm on 20, 27 Jan & 3 & 10 Feb
Young People’s Night - £7.50 for Under 26s on 26 Jan
Captioned performance on 1 February

Ticket prices
Tickets £10-£20 (concessions available)
Phone 020 7229 0706
Online gatetheatre.co.uk

@gatetheatre

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