Alexandra Sanchez

March 15, 2015

THEA 3
Twilight: Los Angeles 1992 Production Response Paper
In Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, Anna Deavere Smith conducted interviews and
these interviews are performed verbatim . It was written as a one-woman show, not a
very common form of theatre, but here at Sacramento State, it was performed by a
small ensemble of seven people. Each cast member played multiple roles of both
genders, similar to how men would play both men and women up until the restoration
period. To distinctly distinguish the different characters, there are costume changes that
take place on and off stage.
The play consists of a series of monologues that are not posed to any of the
other actors on stage, semi-similar to how actors would perform asides to the audience .
Occasionally, the actors would play to the audience like they were speaking to us, rather
than the interviewer. The structure of the play definitely does NOT follow the
characteristics of a well-made plays. It has a looser construction since its a series of
monologues by multiple people that are done in no specific order . There is no cause
and effect situation throughout the play but is more present in each monologue . There
isnt any defined protagonist or antagonist because this production is merely a collection
of interviews versus having a script that has actors interacting with each other directly .

This play follows some of the practices and characteristics of realism and could
be defined as a realist play. It depicts a real-life event and shows the effects on different
genders and races. The language of the play isnt formal but is colloquial, making it
familiar to the audience and not difficult to understand . The production shows how each
interviewee has been affected by and, for some, how they participated in the riot . The
characters have a more complex personality, rather than having a flat character with
nothing to make them realistic or relatable to an audience member .
The show was performed in a thrust stage, unlike realist plays that took place on
a proscenium stage. The thrust stage allowed for a more open concept for the staging
and blocking. It allowed one of the actors to come up into the house seating and
somewhat interact with the audience, breaking the fourth wall . It was a shock factor to
everyone because it happened without any warning . It helped focus the audiences
attention on what the event meant to the people interviewed rather than just what it was
about.
Overall, the production was wonderful. Modern ideas were the main focus but
had the elements of past ideas. The videos flowed seamlessly with each monologue
and were not detracting from the meaning of the show. The lighting created a dramatic
effect was worked very well with the production due to the intensity of the text . Every
aspect of the production worked cohesively to make it a well performed and polished
show.