Make A DATE WITH JOHN WATERS at Scottsdale Center

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts presents A Date With John Waters on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m.

Affectionately known as "The King of Bad Taste" and "The Pope of Trash," Waters is celebrated for his now-classic cult movies such as Pink Flamingos, Polyester and Hairspray. He is also a photographer and curator whose work has been shown in galleries and museums around the world, and the author of numerous books, including the best-selling Role Models; Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America; and most recently,Make Trouble, published in 2017. He returns to Scottsdale for a night of onstage, irreverent adults-only commentary, followed by a book signing.

Waters, who has noted that "life is nothing if you're not obsessed," has played to sold-out audiences at the Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Bonnaroo, the Sydney Opera House, Volksbühne Berlin and Southbank Centre in London.

"Hairspray" won eight Tony® Awards and "Cry Baby - The Musical" was nominated for four Tonys. In the summer of 2007, the movie "Hairspray," starring John Travolta, Christopher Walken and Michelle Pfeiffer, was a worldwide box office hit.

Waters, who says, "I pride myself on the fact that my work has no socially redeeming value," last performed at the Center in December 2010 for A John Waters Christmas. During the show, he shared some of his favorite holiday traditions, from his compulsive desire to give and receive perverted gifts to his religious fanaticism for Santa Claus and an unhealthy love of real-life holiday horror stories. He also delved into his passion for lunatic exploitation Christmas movies and the unhealthy urge to remake all of his films into seasonal children's classics.

He noted in a 2015 commencement address at the Rhode Island School of Design, "Somehow I've been able to make a living doing what I love best for 50 years without ever having to get a real job."

Tickets:
$69 (M $61) / $49 / $39
Free for eligible veterans, students and teachers. Patrons 29 and under, 50 percent off.

SCOTTSDALE ARTS
Through its partnership with the City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through three acclaimed divisions - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) and Scottsdale Public Art - serving more than 400,000 participants annually.

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Since 1975, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has provided a stage for a wide range of artists and genres, creating shared, inspiring experiences for the community that celebrate artistic excellence and cultural awareness. Today one of the premier performing-arts halls in the western United States, the Center presents a diverse season of music, dance, theater, comedy and film from around the world.

LOCATION AND PARKING

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 7380 E. Second St. in downtown Scottsdale. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located to the west of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Wells Fargo Avenue. Additional free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Corral at East Second Street and Brown Avenue and at the Civic Center Library parking garage located on Drinkwater Boulevard at East Second Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers performance accommodations to enhance audience members' experience, including: American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation or live audio description with two weeks advance notice. Assistive-listening devices and wheelchair seating are also available. Visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/accessibility/ or contact the Member and Patron Services Box Office at 480-499-TKTS (8587) [TDD: 480-874-4694] for further details. Please inquire about services when ordering tickets.

TICKET DISCOUNTS

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers a variety of ticket discounts for Scottsdale Arts members at the Friends level and above, groups of 10 or more and those purchasing packages to four or more events in one order. The Center provides free tickets to selected events for eligible students, teachers and active-duty military and veterans, and 50-percent off tickets to selected events for patrons 29 and under. Visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/tickets-discounts/ or call 480-499-TKTS (8587) for more information.

Photo: John Waters

Photo by: Greg Gorman