Course Notes for January 16

Twilight Preview

For our next class, we will read the first 50 pages or so of Anna Deavere Smith's one-woman performance piece, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Before you begin reading the text of the play itself, you must spend some time carefully reading Deveare Smith's brief introduction. It provides a brief introduction to the cultural and historical background to the play. More significantly, the introduction explains the methodology and rationale behind Deveare Smith's work.

This picture from the OFFOFFOFF film review: check out the site for an excellent review of the
film version of Twilight and some other pictures from the film.

As you read the introduction, highlight, underline, or otherwise note what you consider the most important of the playwright's comments about her play. How was this play constructed? Why did she take on this project? What does she hope to achieve cultural and socially through the play? How does she understand the issue of race? And how does her theory of performance--of acting and writing--influence how we should read her play.

During our next class meeting, we will discuss the intro (please come to class having selected two or three quotes that you consider especially interesting, challenging, or important) and the narratives of the first eight characters: Rudy Salas, Sr., Stanley K Sheinbaum, Michhael Zinzun, Jason Sanford, Anonymous Young Man, Mike Davis, Theresa Allison, and Cornel West. As you read the play, remember that Deveare Smith performs all of the parts and that her texts are taken word for word from interviews she conducted in Los Angeles after the riots. To help you visualize what you are reading, you should browse through the photos of Deveare Smith in character(s) that begin on page 81.

Obviously, I hope to hear your reactions to what you are reading in class, but I also want you to think about a few other issues:

1. what are the implications of one African American woman performing all of these parts (how does this connect to the artistic and social philosophy Deveare Smith articulates in the introduction)?
2. what do these different characters have to say about the questions of race and American identity that Deveare Smith raises in her introduction?
3. what are social and cultural issues and concerns do the characters in the play introduce and develop?

Come to class having selected at least one brief passage from each character that you found particularly interesting, revelatory, frustrating, or significant.

I also recommend that you browse through the web links that I have researched for the text. They include articles about Deveare Smith and her approach to theatre as well as resources about the Los Angeles riots: Twilight links

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Page last updated: 11 March, 2004