What was you doing in 1992?
Does the name Rodney King or Latasha Harlins mean anything to you when thinking about Los Angeles? Or summer riots?
Admittedly this is before my time, but so is a lot of history that I was taught in school. In fact, when it comes to a lot of black history there was a particular style of format that the education system in the United Kingdom would follow so it’s no surprise I only learnt about Emett Till through listening to Kanye West. Just before you step inside you’re given a sticker to right your name on and something you wish to talk about (although you don’t have to it’s a great ice breaker for anyone who attends the theatre solo).
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 is a one woman production. That woman, Nina Bowers plays over 20 characters while telling the encounters from over 300 city residents from the time the city riots happened. Once you move on from the quick accent changes, and grasp the concept this story is extremely moving to understand how the universal issues which happened decades ago are still affecting communities globally. It’s not a play solely based on race, though it’s not a play to shy away from stereotypes of race and ethnicity within a community.
The themes of this play unfortunately do not have unfamiliar tone to it. From police brutality to institutional racism from within communities. Despite the cliche stereotypes, each voice has a stinct sense of desperation coming from within. Why was rioting the result in through this desperate time, when a there were obvious cries for help. Why did people not want to integrate their communities with others? Bowers manages to keep the energy throughout though there is a moment when the quick changes between accents and characters felt like an intense tennis match.
Whether you chose to attend to educate yourself or not, you’ll leave knowing that the story doesn’t and did not end 25 years ago. With an audience sitting over 5,400 miles away from where the riots began in an intimate 75 capacity setting, I for sure can say that I can resonate with some of the testimonials made in the last 80 minutes, and it’s something we all should think about to make sure we truly can live in a world where justice really means justice for all involved.
Running until 10 February at The Gate Theatre. Book tickets here.