Center Theatre Group News & Blogs

Meet Gregg Daniel of 'The Duat'

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 13:35:00 -0700

Actor Gregg Daniel (HBO’s Insecure) currently appears in The Duat by playwright Roger Q. Mason and director Taibi Magar as part of our series Not a Moment, But a Movement, in collaboration with Watts Village Theater Company and The Fire This Time Festival.

Filmed live at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and available on demand through August 12, 2021, The Duat follows Cornelius Johnson (Daniel), a former FBI COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) informant as he awakens in the Egyptian afterlife. While he awaits judgement, Cornelius struggles to come to terms with his family history and his own troubling role in the civil rights movement at UCLA in the late 60s.

Daniel is no stranger to the stage or Center Theatre Group, having been part of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Mark Taper Forum in 2013 and appeared in works with South Coast Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, among others. He spoke with us about his work on The Duat, working on a Digital Stage production, and the impact of Not a Moment, But a Movement.

Q: How would you describe this new play by Roger Q. Mason?

“The Duat is a story of reconciliation and redemption. The character I play, Cornelius Johnson, has effectively died and entered a realm (the Duat) where he is to be judged for actions taken while living. The caveat being, Cornelius must first confess his culpability in an act which left two Black men dead. The humanity in Roger’s story emanates from the fact that Cornelius must reconcile with himself, first and foremost. The deity who is to judge Cornelius is just a backdrop to a man who must face his own weaknesses and admit his shortcomings. It’s in offering his confession that Cornelius might discover his own self-worth and achieve redemption.”

Q: How did you first become involved with this production?

“I’ve known Center Theatre Group’s Associate Artistic Director Tyrone Davis for a number of years. And I’ve seen Roger’s work at L.A. theatres for some time. The two gentlemen approached me about working on The Duat. I was stunned by its honesty, intelligence, and use of rhythm in the language. However, I was very hesitant about doing a solo performance piece (with choreography no less.) Both Roger and Tyrone were extremely patient and supportive. They allayed my doubts regarding my ability to access this character. Calling it a solo piece is bit of a misnomer since I’m working onstage with a very versatile and talented percussionist, David Leach. The project turned out to be one of the most gratifying artistic experiences I’ve had all year. I continue to thank Roger and Tyrone for trusting me.”

Q: Are there elements of The Duat that personally resonate with you?

“I’m a child of the sixties. I recall the excitement of the Black Power Movement as well the danger inherent in raising our collective voices in protest. Like so many Black Youth, I wanted to be somebody while society at large wanted to deny me my humanity. Cornelius Johnson made decisions based on an overwhelming need to belong. I, too, wanted to belong when I was coming of age, however, in a racist society that sees Black men as a constant threat, how does one achieve a place of safety and self-worth? Ironically, I don’t believe my struggle in the 1960s was any different from the struggles faced by men and women of color today. The times have changed, but the struggle continues.

“I think my biggest takeaway was understanding that the act of forgiveness is not only fulfilled when we seek it from others, but the greatest hurdle to self-acceptance is also being able to forgive oneself.”

Q: What was your experience filming a project for our Digital Stage any different than working on film and television?

“The Duat is created to be a solo performance piece, which was something I’ve never done before on stage, film, or television. I admire performers who do solo work but didn’t think I’d be joining those ranks. I was pleasantly surprised at how elated I was to be on a stage again. The kinetic energy a performer creates on a stage or in front of a camera is revelatory. What made it a fulfilling experience was feeling the attention, support, and energy of everyone in the theatre. It might not be something an actor notices in a larger ensemble cast, however when you’re alone on stage you feel the quality of attention and detail from everyone and everything around you.

“While we may title it Digital Theatre, I see it as the best of what both stage and screen can offer. Like a stage play, we rehearsed the material for weeks, collaborated with a director, designers, etc. What was interesting and unique was bringing in a knowledgeable production team to capture the intimacy of the stage with multiple cameras.”

Q: Can you talk about Not a Moment, But a Movement and how it resonates for you as a performer?

“I’m grateful that being a participant allowed me to be exposed to a generation of BIPOC artists that are very different from the ones I came of age with. There are generational differences between me and many of the performers who have thus far graced the program. Learning about these artists, their stories, their struggles, and absorbing how they shape their art is hugely stimulating. I dare say I admire each one and learned much from them.”

Q: What was it like for you as an artist throughout this pandemic? How have you been holding up?

“I’m the Artistic Director of an L.A.-based theatre company, Lower Depth Theatre (LDT).Throughout the pandemic, LDT worked hard to find ways to curate new programming, engage a multitude of creative artists (playwrights, directors, actors), and reach an audience who might not have attended one of our productions physically but could attend our work virtually. In other words, I kept busy. Once we accepted what the obstacles were to live theatre because of shutting our doors, the only solution was to find alternative ways to create new platforms in which to share our art. Yes,I regret losing work as many creative artists did, however, the down time did afford me a chance to reflect on what I do, why I do it and the urgency to keep doing it.”

Rediscovering Los Angeles with '32 ACRES–a soundwalk'

Center Theatre Group — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 11:51:00 -0700

After a year and a half of our theatres being dark, we’re slowly transitioning back to live performances. For Marike Splint and Center Theatre Group, that transition involves a pair of your best headphones, a specially designed mobile app, and a trip to Los Angeles State Historic Park. 32 ACRES–a soundwalk for the Los Angeles State Historic Park, an experience spearheaded by Dutch French-Tunisian theatre artist Marike Splint in collaboration with Center Theatre Group and UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, uncovers the secret history of the city hidden in the Los Angeles State Historic Park through the power of technology, sound, and contemplation. The experience begins after downloading the custom-built app, arriving to the park, and putting on your best set of headphones. From there, Splint, along with the atmospheric composition consisting of sounds of the park by Jonathan Snipes, guide you through the trails, bringing to light the perspectives of the city that are hidden in plain sight.

“Los Angeles is a fascinating city,” said Splint. “What I find compelling about L.A. is that you have to peel layers away to read the city—oftentimes the stories don’t appear at the surface. The city lives in a constant tension between this hidden past and its perpetual focus on the future. So, when you observe something for a longer time, you will begin to see things you do not see at first sight.” This project was crafted specifically for this moment—to gently nudge audiences back to the theatre after a period of isolation. “The first idea came about when I began talking with Center Theatre Group in November about a sound experience in public space that would facilitate this segue from experiencing performance online to in-person. We knew it would be hard for audiences to be immediately ready to return to a live performance,” said Splint. “It’s an invitation to not look at theatre on your screen anymore. You actually go out and experience something among other people. It’s a way to do something that asks you to be physically present without the concern that may come from returning to larger audience groups.” As a site-specific theatre artist, her solution was to bring people to the Los Angeles State Historic Park. But it’s not just live theatre that Splint invites you to rediscover—32 ACRES is also about getting audiences familiar with the city they occupy.

The name 32 ACRES derives from the 32 acres of public space granted for the park. The space sits in Chinatown and runs adjacent to the Metro Gold Line, with views of Downtown L.A. on one side and the Los Angeles River on the other. Although there were other places that were in consideration, Splint mentioned that from the project’s inception, it was always intended for this park. “Since I’ve known the park, I've been fascinated by it. For me it’s sort of a metaphor for L.A. as a whole,” she said. Ultimately, its location, accessibility, and history were what made the Los Angeles Stage Historic Park a perfect fit—a very rich site to create from and in.

“I’ve worked on a lot of soundwalks, but the combination of this site, the technology, and the team really makes 32 ACRES stand out from other projects I’ve done,” said Splint. The process from idea to launch not only included a lot of walking around the park and conversations with rangers, historians, and even archaeologists, but also included the development of a brand-new app created specifically for this experience. “There’s always the issue of pace. If you want to linger somewhere, you are immediately out of sync with the audio if it’s an mp3 file,” she explained. “So that’s how we began the conversation of creating the geolocated app, so that it doesn’t matter if you’re walking fast or slow—you will hear the content when you get to a certain place and it will transition seamlessly.”

Splint also explained that it was important to create an immersive experience for the user. “What I usually try to do with my work is to slightly shift the perspective on our everyday life and help people see things that they are used to passing by. When I create, I think from the eyes of the audience—the eyes are the cameras and I find ways to ‘edit’ what they are seeing through sound. Sometimes I describe what I do as V.R., virtual reality, without the V.” Video games were ultimately what inspired the immersion technology used to create 32 ACRES, as the team used a video game engine to build the app. “In video games, you’re constantly surrounded by sound and are fully immersed in that world and experience,” she said. “32 ACRES applies that video game functionality to the real-life environment.”

Through the truly immersive quality, Splint invites audiences to learn about and acknowledge the space they occupy, not only as patrons, but also as Angelenos. “One of the most urgent questions theatre can ask is how we live together as a community and how we inhabit the city together. I want to ask those questions in the actual environment where these questions are at stake.”

Experience Marike Splint’s 32 ACRES now at the Los Angeles State Historic Park by downloading the mobile app.