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PRODUCTION HISTORY

The play was orginally commissioned and produced by the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in May 1993. The production was directed by Emily Mann. Its New York premiere in March 1994 at the New York Shakespeare Festival Theatre was followed by a move to the Cort Theatre on Broadway, both under the direction of George C. Wolfe.

The following is a link to a Ford Foundation Report which contains photos from Twilight.

CHARACTERS

These are a few of the characters from the play. Originally, all the characters were portrayed by Smith.

Josie Morales -- clark-typist, City of Los Angeles; uncalled witness to the Rodney King beating, Simi Valley trial

Elvira Evers -- general worker and cashier, Canteen Corporation

Anonymous Young Woman -- student, University of Southern California

Elaine Brown -- former head of the Black Panther Party; author of A Taste of Power

Mrs. Young-Soon Han -- former liquor store owner

SETTING

Los Angeles, 1992, after the Rodney King beating and subsequent trial.

PLAY STRUCTURE

The play is organized into a series of monologues by a myriad of voices.

PRODUCTION NOTES

These are the words of Twilight, the ex-gang member after whom Smith named the play.

"Twilight is that time of day between day

and night

limbo, I call it limbo,

and sometimes when I take my ideas to my

homeboys

they say, well Twilight, that's something you

can't do right now,

that's an idea before it's time.

So sometimes I feel as thought I'm stuck in

limbo

the way the sun is stuck between night and

day

in the twilight hours.

Nighttime to me is like a lack of sun,

but I don't affiliate darkness with anything

negative.

I affiliate darkness with what came first,

because it was first,

and relative to my complexion,

I am a dark individual

and with me being stuck in limbo

I see the darkness as myself.

And I see the light as the knowledge and

the wisdom of the world, and the under-

standing of others.

And I know

in order for me to be a full human

being

I cannot forever dwell in darkness

I cannot f orever dwell in the idea

of identifying with those like me

and understanding only me and mine."

EXCERPT FROM THE PLAY

This excerpt is entitled "Indelible Substance".

JOSIE MORALES, In a conference room at her workplace, downtown Los Angeles.

We lived in Apartment A6

right next to A8,

which is where George Holliday lived.

And, um

the next thing we know is, um

ten or twelve officers made a circle around

him

and they started to hit him.

I remember

that they just not only hit him with stick,

they also kicked him,

and one guy,

one police officer, even pummeled his fist

into his face,

and they were kicking him.

And then we were like "O, my goodness,"

and I was just watching.

I felt like "Oh my goodness"

'cause it was really like

he was in danger there,

it was such

an oppressive atmosphere.

I knew it was wrong -

whatever he did -

I just knew in my heart

this is wrong -

you know they can't do that....

PUBLICATION HISTORY

New York: Doubleday, 1994.

New York: Anchor, 1996.