History, poetry and tragedy collide when Roger Guenveur Smith tackles the thorny odyssey of Rodney King—deemed “the first reality TV star”—from the harsh initial glare of the national spotlight as the victim of police brutality to his involuntary martyrdom that ignited the L.A. riots to his lonely death at the bottom of a swimming pool. Smith seamlessly fuses facts and friction, motion and emotion into a gripping narrative that poses impossible questions while illuminating his subject with grace and empathy.
Roger Guenveur Smith earned a Master’s Degree in African American Studies at Yale University: he was among the first class of graduate students to enter the African American Studies program in 1978.
- See performance times: http://artidea.org/rodneyking
- The Saturday, June 20 performance of “Rodney King” is part of A Day of Civic Action at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
For more information about the day’s events: http://artidea.org/event/2015/2035
Presented in association with Long Wharf Theatre
International Festival of Arts & Ideas - New Haven