This Bright Wilderness: Celebrating the Legacy of Black Theatre at the Mark Taper Forum and Los Angeles is the second in a series of Taper Legacy Readings, which is part of the CTG:FWD initiative, directed by Andi Chapman (Associate Artistic Director, The Ebony Repertory Theatre) and curated by CLASSIX, which was created by Awoye Timpo (last seen at CTG as the director of Amal’s Wish) to explode the classical canon through an exploration of Black performance history and dramatic works by Black writers.  

The evening of readings included scenes from The Celebration by Bill Gunn, Lackawanna Blues by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Father Comes Home from the Wars by Suzan-Lori Parks, House Arrest and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deavere Smith, Dream on Monkey Mountain by Derek Walcott, Neat by Charlayne Woodard, and August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, which is part of The American Century Cycle. The program also includes songs from the musicals Jelly's Last Jam, with book by George C. Wolfe, music by Jelly Roll Morton, and lyrics Susan Birkenhead, and Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope by Micki Grant. 

At this event, CTG continued to dig into its archives, this time uncovering the legacy of Black Theatre at the Mark Taper Forum over the the past 57 years. That history intersects with the vibrant Black history of the entire city of Los Angeles. Pulled from texts produced through readings, workshops, and full productions, This Bright Wilderness was a ride through exuberant performance styles, virtuosic writing, award-winning music, and the triumph of the Black storytelling tradition in Los Angeles, throughout the country, and around the world. The event concluded with a post-show conversation about the legacy of these playwrights in Los Angeles.   

This Bright Wilderness is the title of a song from Suzan-Lori Parks’ Father Comes Home From the Wars (Part 1, 2 & 3), which had its West Coast Premiere at the Taper in 2016.  

As part of CTG:FWD, an initiative committed to special events, community gatherings, and legacy projects, established last fall by CTG's Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director Snehal Desai, the Taper Legacy Readings were created to honor CTG’s past and share readings from the Taper vault, while also welcoming a new era for the organization.

Event Info

Evening Host: Ngozi Anyanwu 

Evening Presenters: Jonelle Allen, Gregg Daniel, Arminda Thomas, Awoye Timpo 

Legacy Reading Student Monologues: Joseph Darby, Noemi Avalos Vargas 

Cast

Brittany Bradford

Curtiss Cook

Gregg Daniel

Kimberly Hébert Gregory

Lovensky Jean-Baptiste

Nija Okoro

Greg Alverez Reid

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Marcel Spears,

Sha’leah Nikole Stubblefield 

Excerpts

With excerpts and songs from the plays

Jelly’s Last Jam by Susan Birkenhead, Jelly Roll Morton, and George C. Wolfe, Additional Music by Luther Henderson

Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope by Micki Grant

The Celebration by Bill Gunn

Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Suzan-Lori Parks

Lackawanna Blues by Ruben Santiago-Hudson

House Arrest and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 by Anna Deavere Smith

Dream on Monkey Mountain by Derek Walcott

August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean

Neat by Charlayne Woodard