7:30 pm | Fri, January 20, 2017

Free and open to the public

National and International Tour begins in 2017. Bring Until, to your theater! edgar@beyondentertainment.co Edgar Arceneaux’s first live work, Until, Until, Until…, investigates the infamous 1981 performance of Broadway legend Ben Vereen, televised nationally as part of Ronald Reagan's inaugural celebration. Intended as an homage to vaudevillian Bert Williams—America’s first mainstream black entertainer—the final 5 minutes of the performance were censored for the television audience, causing Vereen’s biting commentary on the history of segregation and racist stereotypes in performance to be lost on viewers at home. Until, Until, Until… is based on the footage that never aired that night. Arceneaux’s commission, a mise-en-scène of the inaugural party, foregrounds the past, illuminating the enduring presence and impact of history in the present. The piece questions the truth of past narratives, and creates an opportunity to reconsider our collective understanding of historic events. The performance immerses the audience in the scenery of the presidential celebration, where the relationships between past and present, experience and memory, and fantasy and reality are blurred as they are filtered through time and the television screen. Actor, Frank Lawson plays Ben Vereen.

Edgar Arcenaux’s film Until, Until, Until... (2015–16) is presented as a cautionary yet uplifting tale of a courageous artist speaking truth to power at an inaugural ball for Ronald Reagan in 1981. Ben Vereen performed in blackface, as a tribute to vaudeville legend Bert Williams, in front of thousands of guests as a heartfelt and subversive political action in hopes of positively affecting Reagan's economic policies. Vereen's performance was censored that night, leaving the performance misunderstood and derailing his life and career. 

Until, Until, Until... will present Ben Vereen's full performance more than 30 years later, on inauguration night. Arceneaux intends the screening of his film to be a platform for Los Angeles’s diverse community to commune, speak, and be heard.

The screening lasts one hour, and will be followed by a Q&A with Arceneaux.

LACMA | Bing Theater
Free and open to the public