Photos: Edgar Arceneaux revisits Ben Vereen

Edgar Arceneaux meets with the production crew. The performance was made possible with support from the CalArts Center for New Performance, which helps incubate professional works of theater.

Frank Lawson rehearsing the role of Ben Vereen as Bert Williams at CalArts. Lawson is a great admirer of Vereen’s: ‘Ben is full of charisma, one of the best dancers to ever hit a stage.’

Frank Lawson rehearsing ‘Until, Until, Until...’

L.A. artist Edgar Arceneaux stands behind a scrim in the rehearsal room at CalArts. He first learned of Ben Vereen’s performance at the 1981 inaugural while watching a public television documentary about African-American artists.

Frank Lawson plays Ben Vereen at different moments in time in the play -- with footage from the actual inaugural ball performance projected onto a scrim on one side of the stage.

Frank Lawson practices his footwork for his role as Ben Vereen in ‘Until, Until, Until...,’ which was co-authored by Edgar Arceneaux and Kurt Forman.