The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

UPDATED: Feb. 8, 2021 at 11:31 a.m.

For Syracuse Stage’s artistic director Robert Hupp, overseeing the production of “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” felt like manning a mission to Mars. To see the virtual performance to fruition, Syracuse Stage set up three control centers: one in Syracuse, one in New York City and one in Chicago.

Syracuse Stage produced two plays for streaming —— “Amadeus” in the spring of 2020 and “Talley’s Folly” in the fall —— with the cast and crew working in person. However, an uptick in COVID-19 cases in central New York in December forced the Christmas production of “Miss Bennet,” a holiday riff on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” to be shut down before production could be finished.

But unlike the plays Syracuse Stage produced in the fall, “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” is completely acted and filmed in Chicago.

The play tells the story of the 1992 Los Angeles riots sparked by the acquittal of four white police officers accused of assaulting a young Black man, Rodney King. The production by Syracuse Stage is a three-hour performance, and is now streaming on Syracuse Stage’s website until Feb. 14.

“The COVID numbers are still problematic, (and) the union is still not giving us permission to bring actors to Syracuse,” Hupp said. “We have to seek other ways of creating theater, so that’s what we’re doing with “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992.”

Steve Broadnax III directed “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” from New York City, and actor Patrese McClain, a frequent collaborator of Broadnax, brought Anna Deavere Smith’s 1994 one-woman show to life from Chicago. In the production, McClain switches between dozens of characters, complete with costume, wig and prop changes.

Hupp called the production process an “adventure” and “incredible learning experience.” He added that even after The Actors’ Equity Association allows live shows to return, the lessons learned from this time will not be forgotten.

The play is about the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which were sparked by police assaulting Rodney King. Screenshot

In a video released by Syracuse Stage, Hupp spoke with Broadnax and McClain about the process of bringing the show to life.

“I could not have done it with anybody else,” Broadnax said in the video. “I’ve known Patrese for twenty years. We’ve worked on a lot of shows together, and I respect her as a person, I respect her as a craftsman. And she is just one of the best actresses I know. I wouldn’t want to do this tour de force with anyone else.”

Both director and actor agreed that the production was a daunting proposal, but they felt encouraged to tackle the project because of their working relationship.

And for McClain, the decision to work on the show —— despite the creative and logistical challenges —— was a no-brainer.

“I just have a very deep level of trust in Steve as a co-collaborator,” McClain said in the video. “There are very few things that he can call me and ask me about that I’m gonna say no to.”

Hupp said he saw the play when it premiered in New York City in the 1990s, and he was moved by the documentary nature of the piece. Smith, the writer and original actor of the play, interviewed over 300 people connected to the LA riots and she used their words verbatim to explain the cultural and political fallout of the event.

When the rights for the show became available because of a canceled New York City production, Hupp knew that it was an important piece to share with Syracuse’s audience.

The Black Lives Matter protests from last year reminded Hupp that America today is not far removed from the America where the 1992 LA riots took place. He said that he wanted to produce the play in Syracuse to encourage dialogue and conversations on issues of injustice, inequality and police brutality.

Along with the emphasis to think deeply about equality, Hupp said that everyone involved in the production has been forced to rethink how they work in the theater —— no matter how long they have been in the industry.

“Personally, it’s been an amazing journey for me because I’m an old guy in theater who’s been caused to learn new ways of thinking about the artform,” Hupp said. “We’re learning, failing, learning from those failures. That’s been a gift to me at this point in my career, and that’s the silver lining.”

CORRECTION: A previous version of this post stated that Syracuse Stage produced the play “Amadeus,” in fall 2020. It was produced in spring 2020. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on February 7, 2021 at 9:28 pm