Karen Finley News

The 9th Annual Welcome to Boog City Festival -- 5 Days of Poetry, Music, and Theater -- is headed to New York City!

Dixon Place's new commission POUND, starring GLAAD Award-winner and Drama Desk nominee, Marga Gomez, will begin performances on Friday, July 10th. Once called 'Amazing' and 'A Lesbian Lenny Bruce' by Robin Williams, POUND will headline Dixon Place's 24th Annual HOT! Festival, the celebration of queer culture in NYC.

Dixon Place's new commission THE FLATIRON HEX, starring Award-winning puppeteer/performance & visual artist James Godwin, will have its world premiere today, May 15th. Godwin's previous collaborations include Julie Taymor, David Bowie, the Muppets & even Aerosmith. A 2014 Jim Henson Award recipient, Godwin utilizes remarkable puppets, masks & mystical neo-noir visuals to tell a story set in a parallel, near-future NYC filled with ghosts, elemental spirits & evil demigods. THE FLATIRON HEX will play six performances only -- May 15th, 16th, 22th, 23th, 29th, and 30th at 7:30PM, at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie Street).

The Flea Theater has announced the New York premiere of The Theatre @ Boston Court's production of HAPPY DAYS by Samuel Beckett, directed by Andrei Belgrader. After critically acclaimed runs in Boston and LA, The Flea welcomes theater veterans Brooke Adams and Tony Award nominee Tony Shalhoub to Tribeca.  Previews begin June 20 with opening night slated for June 29.

The Theatre @ Boston Court announces two critically acclaimed Main Stage productions to receive New York premieres in June, 2015.

Dixon Place's new commission THE FLATIRON HEX, starring Award-winning puppeteer/performance & visual artist James Godwin, will have its world premiere on Friday, May 15th. Godwin's previous collaborations include Julie Taymor, David Bowie, the Muppets & even Aerosmith. A 2014 Jim Henson Award recipient, Godwin utilizes remarkable puppets, masks & mystical neo-noir visuals to tell a story set in a parallel, near-future NYC filled with ghosts, elemental spirits & evil demigods. THE FLATIRON HEX will play six performances only -- May 15th, 16th, 22th, 23th, 29th, and 30th at 7:30PM, at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie Street).

Dixon Place's new dance commission and the feath3r theory's production of, COLOR ME, WARHOL, will have its world premiere tomorrow, April 10th. Conceived, choreographed and directed by Raja Feather Kelly, this piece is the latest installment of an ongoing series jump-started by Mr. Kelly's interest in Andy Warhol, pop culture, and identity.

Dixon Place's new dance commission and the feath3r theory's production of, COLOR ME, WARHOL, will have its world premiere tonight, April 10th.

Independent Curators International (ICI), Pratt Manhattan Gallery, and Franklin Furnace will present Knowledge Carnival, a series of student performances developed in Professor Karen Finley's class titled Creative Response: Performance Matters, held at the Department of Art and Public Policy, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. Martha Wilson, founding director of Franklin Furnace, invited the burgeoning artists to present their work at Pratt Manhattan Gallery after visiting the class in fall 2014. Curated by Leonie Ettinger, the programming is inspired by Wilson's body of work and the myriad experimental performances embedded in Franklin Furnace's history.

Independent Curators International (ICI), Pratt Manhattan Gallery, and Franklin Furnace will present Knowledge Carnival, a series of student performances developed in Professor Karen Finley's class titled Creative Response: Performance Matters, held at the Department of Art and Public Policy, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU. Martha Wilson, founding director of Franklin Furnace, invited the burgeoning artists to present their work at Pratt Manhattan Gallery after visiting the class in fall 2014. Curated by Leonie Ettinger, the programming is inspired by Wilson's body of work and the myriad experimental performances embedded in Franklin Furnace's history.

Ben Rimalower just might be heading a revival of downtown theater. Following the wild success of his popular cabaret-theater piece, Patti Issues, which ran forever (and is still going strong), he's back with his latest entry into obsessive-compulsive issues, Bad With Money, running at The Duplex Cabaret Theatre through April. This is a profoundly darker work, laced with campy humor and his trademark spitfire delivery. It is more serious and thought provoking as he expounds on his neurotic spending habits and substance addictions.

Dixon Place's new dance commission and the feath3r theory's production of, COLOR ME, WARHOL, will have its world premiere on April 10th. Conceived, choreographed and directed by Raja Feather Kelly, this piece is the latest installment of an ongoing series jump-started by Mr. Kelly's interest in Andy Warhol, pop culture, and identity. COLOR ME, WARHOL will play six performances only -- April 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 24th, and 25th at 7:00PM, at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie Street).

The Flea Theater will present the World Premiere of THE NOMAD, a new musical with book & lyrics by Tony Award nominee Elizabeth Swados and Guggenheim Fellow Erin Courtney, composed & directed by Swados. Performances begin tonight, February 19. The production runs through April 6, 2015.

Dixon Place's new production, THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY, will begin previews tonight, February 7th, and open on Sunday, February 22nd at 6:00 PM.

Dixon Place's new production, THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY, begins performances on Saturday, February 7th at 7:30 PM.

The Flea Theater has announced the World Premiere of Cory Finley's comedy THE FEAST. It is directed by Flea Resident Director Courtney Ulrich (White Hot), featuring three members of The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea. Previews begin March 4 with opening slated for March 15.

The Flea Theater will present the World Premiere of THE NOMAD, a new musical with book & lyrics by Tony Award nominee Elizabeth Swados and Guggenheim Fellow Erin Courtney, composed & directed by Swados. Previews begin February 26 with opening slated for February 28.

Dixon Place's new production, THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY, will begin previews Saturday, February 7th, and open on Sunday, February 22nd at 6:00 PM. Based on his best-selling novel, the show features critically acclaimed, Emmy nominated and award-winning storyteller James Lecesne, who portrays the life and characters of a Jersey Shore town where a young boy goes missing. The play is directed by Tony Speciale, with visuals by Matthew Sandager and incidental music by Duncan Sheik, some of which will be released in his new record "Legerdemain" in April 2015. THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY will run through March 28th at Dixon Place (161 Chrystie Street). Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.dixonplace.org or by calling (212) 219-0736.

The Flea Theater presents Kim Davies' World Premiere Smoke, directed by Flea Resident Director Tom Costello (The Wundelsteipen (and other difficult roles for young people)) and featuring members of The Bats, the resident acting company at The Flea. Says Producing Director Carol Ostrow, 'where 50 Shades of Grey dances on the surface of BDSM, Smoke cuts to the core.' Performances will now run through February 1, 2015 at The Flea, where performances started in August of 2014.

Necessary Exposure: The Female Playwright Project (on view January 5 - 26) is a series of installations displaying portraits of playwrights who identify as female.