REDCAT Presents Theater Artist John Fleck's BLACKTOP HIGHWAY
By: Sally Henry Fuller Oct. 17, 2015
Los Angeles-based performer John Fleck returns to REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for the contemporary arts, Thursday October 22 to Sunday October 25, 2015, just in time to warm you up for Halloween.
Fleck re-invents the gothic horror genre in this horrifyingly hysterical tale of taxidermy, transformation and caged creatures. Fleck's multi-character solo piece -first staged at REDCAT's New Original Works Festival- is a brilliantly staged screenplay, inspired by classic horror cinema and Freud's Theory of Mind (Id, Ego and Super Ego) - all played out on one man's body. Weaving video with theatrical movement and his remarkable vocal qualities, Fleck leads the audience on a journey into a darkly hilarious world.
Actor and performance artist Fleck became infamous in 1990, when he and three other performance artists, now known as the NEA-4, were denied funding by the National Endowment for the Arts because of religious and political pressure. Not content to be merely a footnote in art history books, Fleck continues to turn stereotypes upside down and tackle taboos with new work.
In recent years, Fleck has become a renowned solo artist with Mad Woman, directed by Ric Montejano, which won the 2012 LA Weekly Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. Other critically acclaimed solo shows include: Side EFFlecks May Include; Johnny's Got a Gun; Nothin' Beats Pussy; Dirt, me; A Snowball's Chance in Hell; Blessed are all the Little Fishes; Psycho Opera and I got the He-Be-She-Be's.
Fleck'srecent theater credits include PEACE (Culture Clash @ the Getty Villa), Tobacco Road (La Jolla Playhouse), Applause (Reprise, UCLA), A Perfect Wedding (Kirk Douglas Theater), Noises Off (Cape Playhouse-Dennis, Mass.), She Stoops to Comedy, Small Craft Warnings, Cringe & Berlin Circle (Evidence Room), On the Jump (South Coast Rep), The Mystery of Irma Vep (Tiffany Theater), The Granny (Old Globe), The Illusion (LATC).
TV/Film work includes True Blood; Criminal Minds; Anger Management; The Middle, Weeds; The Closer; Nip/Tuck; Carnivale; Startrek Enterprise; Seinfeld; Murder One; Tales of the City Falling Down; Waterworld; which enable him financial fluidity to create his, not necessarily for profit, performance art.
"I believe the artistic value the horror film most frequently offers is its ability to form a liaison between our fantasy fears and our real fears." - Stephen King
BLACK TOP HIGHWAY
Written and Performed by John Fleck. Director/Dramaturg: Randee Trabitz. Video Designer: Heather Fipps. Costume Designer: Christina Wright. Lighting Designer: Vortex Lighting. Sound Designer: Catasonic Records. Promotional Videotaping: Adam Soc
REDCAT WEBSITE LINK/PURCHASE TICKETS
Purchase online or call the REDCAT box office to purchase at 213-237-2800.
ABOUT REDCAT | THE ROY AND EDNA DISNEY/CALARTSTHEATER
REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, presentsa dynamic and international mix of innovative visual, performing and media artsyear round. Located inside the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall complex in downtown Los Angeles, REDCAT housesa theater, a gallery space and a lounge. Through performances, exhibitions, screenings, and literary events, REDCAT introduces diverse audiences, studentsand artiststo the most influential developmentsin the artsfrom around the world, and givesartistsin thisregion the creative support they need to achieve national and international stature. REDCAT continuesthe tradition of the California Institute of the Arts, itsparent organization, by encouraging experimentation, discovery and lively civic discourse.
GENERALINFORMATION
For current program and exhibition information call 213-237-2800 or visit www.redcat.org.
LOCATION/PARKING
Street Address: 631 West 2nd Street, LosAngelesCA 90012
REDCAT islocated in downtown LosAngelesinside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex with a separate entrance at the corner of West 2nd and Hope Streets. Parking isavailable in the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking structure. $9 event rate or $5 for vehiclesentering after 8:00 pm on weekdays.
THE LOUNGE | Open to the public six daysa week, the Lounge isa great place to spend an afternoon or grab a drink pre- and post-performance.
Lounge Hours: Tuesdays-Fridaysfrom 9am until 8 pm or post-show; Saturdays from noon until 8 pm or post-show; Sundaysfrom noon until 6pm or post-show
THE GALLERY | REDCAT'sGallery presentsfive major exhibitionseach year, and publishesartist booksand catalogues. Admission to the Gallery isFREE. Gallery Hours: Tuesdays-Sundaysfrom noon until 6 pm and through intermission
THE THEATER| Ticketsfor programsheld in the theater are available through the REDCAT Box Office, by phone 213-237-2800 or online at www.redcat.org. Group, member, student and CalArtsfaculty/staff discountsavailable.
Box Office Hours: Tuesdays-Saturday from noon until 6 pm or two hoursprior to curtain
Videos
