`HOUSE ARREST' DUE AT TAPER FOR 11 SHOWS.

Byline: - Sharon Cotal

Anna Deavere Smith will present her work-in-progress production of ``House Arrest: An Introgression'' at the Mark Taper Forum for 11 performances beginning Friday.

Smith last was seen in L.A. in the world premiere of her Tony Award-nominated ``Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992,'' also at the Taper.

``House Arrest,'' written and directed by Smith, is a two-act topical theater piece about the American presidency.

Act 1 is a compressed version of the play that serves as a springboard for Act 2, which is a community conversation dealing with issues such as power, gender, race, the press and public vs. private morality.

While Act 1 draws upon interviews of more than 300 political operatives, journalists and elected officials (including President Clinton) as well as research on past presidents, Act 2's community conversation will draw not only on the audience, but on a wide range of civic leaders, activists, scholars and other artists.

Among the moderators involved in the production are: Warren Olney, host of ``Which Way L.A.'' on KCRW; and Rabbi Laura Geller, Temple Emanuel civil rights activist.

There also will be special guests at certain engagements including Jonathan Alter, senior editor, Newsweek; Dee Dee Myers, former White House press secretary; Arianna Huffington, political pundit and columnist; Norman Lear, television producer; and Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles.

Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and April 16; 2 and 7:30 p.m. April 17; and 2 p.m. April 18.

Tickets are available through the Center Theatre Group box office at the Ahmanson Theatre or by calling CTG Audience Services at [phone].

Off to see `The Wizard': Radio City Entertainment's live production of ``The Wizard of Oz'' will be performed for five weeks this summer in the L.A. area. Oz fans should follow the yellow brick road to the Pantages Theatre (June 16-July 4) and Segerstrom Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center (July 7-18).

The stage production stars Mickey Rooney as the Wizard, Jessica Grove as Dorothy and Jo Anne Worley as the Wicked Witch of the West. An announcement about tickets will be made in the near future.