April 19, 2017 The Skanner Page 11
Arts & Entertainment
The Skanner News Staff
A
rtists Repertory
Theatre will pres-
ent “Rodney King,”
written and per-
formed by actor and per-
formance artist Roger
Guenveur Smith, April
21-23 at Alder Stage,
1516 SW Alder. This pro-
duction will be the final
stage performances of
Smith’s piece, which has
been touring since 2012,
and the last before Net-
flix releases the Spike
Lee-directed film “Rod-
“
our cycle of violence de-
mand community action
in Portland and across
the country.”
With the help of an Or-
egon Community Foun-
dation grant, Artists Rep
will offer a free student
matinee and facilitate a
student workshop led by
Smith. The student work-
shop with the renowned
performance artist, ac-
tor and educator will be
held at 4 p.m. Thursday
at Roosevelt High School.
The workshop is coordi-
nated by S. Renee Mitch-
production also includes
a workshop and free stu-
dent matinee for area
youth, a Roosevelt High
School student lobby ex-
hibit and performances
from the youth of Spit/
WRITE, as well as post-
show discussions af-
ter every performance
(moderated by The Col-
or of NOW). Saturday
night’s post show discus-
sion will include a panel
of Portland history and
race relations experts.
Following the Sunday
matinee Chisao Hata will
val, Amsterdam, as well
as Woolly Mammoth,
Penumbra Theatre, Se-
attle Theatre Group, The
Public Theater and Long
Wharf Theatre.
Smith’s
historical-
ly-driven work for the
international stage also
includes “A Huey P. New-
ton Story,” “Christopher
Columbus 1992,” “Who
Killed Bob Marley?,”
“Juan and John,” “In Hon-
or of Jean Michel Basqui-
at,” “The Watts Towers
Project,” “Iceland,” “Two
Fires,” “Patriot Act,” “The
‘We are deeply honored and incredibly lucky to host Roger’s
monumental work at such a crucial time, one that coincides with
the 25-year anniversary of the L.A. riots, the launch of the film
version directed by Spike Lee, and most importantly, at a time
when police accountability, racial tensions and our cycle of vio-
lence demand community action in Portland...’
ney King” April 28.
Artists Rep’s produc-
tion is presented on the
eve of the 25-year anni-
versary of the Rodney
King trial verdict of 1992,
which acquitted the four
police officers who bru-
tally beat King in 1991
and sparked the L.A.
riots. Post-show discus-
sions will follow every
performance.
“Rodney King” tells
the story of a flawed,
good-hearted everyman,
described once as “the
first reality TV star,”
from his harsh entry into
the national spotlight
to a lonely death at the
bottom of his swimming
pool. Smith asks us once
again, “Can we all get
along?”
“Rodney King is one of
the most powerful per-
formances I’ve ever wit-
nessed,” Jerry Tischled-
er,
Frontier
Series
curator, said in a press
statement released by
Artists Repertory The-
ater. “We are deeply
honored and incredibly
lucky to host Roger’s
monumental work at
such a crucial time, one
that coincides with the
25-year anniversary of
the L.A. riots, the launch
of the film version direct-
ed by Spike Lee, and most
importantly, at a time
when police accountabil-
ity, racial tensions and
ell, a teacher at Roos-
evelt High School, artist,
journalist and mentor
of Portland youth. The
workshop will bring to-
gether students from
throughout the Portland
Public Schools to work
with Smith on the in-
tersections of history,
journalism and perfor-
mance. These students,
along with classes from
high schools through-
out Portland, will be the
first Portland audience
for “Rodney King” for an
April 21 matinee perfor-
mance.
Programming for this
conduct a “Move Back,”
a movement-based post
show exercise.
“Rodney King” was de-
veloped at the Bootleg
Theater, Los Angeles, in
August 2012 and subse-
quently presented in that
city at the Kirk Douglas
Theatre, Grand Perfor-
mances, University of
Southern
California,
KAOS Gallery and the
Manifest Justice Festival.
Among the many inter-
national venues which
have presented the work
are the Tate Modern Mu-
seum, London and the
Right About Now Festi-
End of Black History
Month” and, with Mark
Broyard, the “not-too-
dark-comedy”
“Inside
the Creole Mafia.” For
the Frederick Douglass
Bicentennial of 2018,
Mr.Smith will present
PHOTO BY PATTI MCGUIRE
Artists Reperatory Theatre to Present the
Final Stage Performance of ‘Rodney King’
“Rodney King” is written and performed by actor and performance
artist Roger Guenveur Smith
his signature “Fredrick
Douglass Now,” which
he initially devised as an
undergraduate and has
since played at the Ken-
nedy Center, The Public
Theater and the Institute
of Contemporary Art,
London.
Smith has also direct-
ed Katori Hall’s “The
Mountaintop,”
Steven
Berkoff ’s “Agamemnon”
and “The Hendrix Proj-
ect” at CalArts, where he
conducts his Perform-
ing History Workshop.
Among Roger’s many
screen credits are the re-
cently acclaimed “Birth
of a Nation,” “Chi-Raq”
and “Dope.”
For more information,
call (503) 241-1278 or vis-
it www.artistsrep.org.
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