Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) presents the 17th Annual New Original Works (NOW) Festival virtually over three weekends October 8-10, November 5-7, and December. 10-12, 2020. Because the performances will be presented online, they will be streamed directly from REDCAT to viewers around the world.
REDCAT is converted each year into a laboratory for premiering new contemporary dance, theater, music, and multimedia performances. The 17 annual NOW Festival will showcase nine new works by Angeles emerging and mid-career artists who are test the boundaries of contemporary performance, stretch or re-define traditions, and take on current and/or controversial social issues. Each artist is provided free rehearsal space, technical support, and they are compensated for their work.
“The NOW Festival creates opportunities for artists that are all too rare. This year, the Festival takes on greater opportunity and urgency: supporting and keeping artists working safely in these uncertain times,” said Edgar Miramontes, REDCAT’s Deputy Executive Director & Curator, who oversees the festival. “It is especially important to have artists lead us and move us forward using this vital initiative of experimentation and development where artists share their unique perspectives, giving us an opportunity to view this changing world in real time and in different and imaginative ways.”
NOW Festival 2020 was organized by Miramontes with artists in the community, including Carole Kim, Jasmine Orpilla, and taisha paggett. In the spirit of CalArts, REDCAT’s parent institution, the NOW Festival serves as a catalyst for creativity and new ideas. Over its 17-year history, the program has launched over 130 works by an impressive list of artists who continue to be seen on stages throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Each of the three weekends features a triple bill of three premieres in a shared evening, premiered on Thursday evening and repeated Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:30 pm.
Week One: Oct. 8-10, 2020 at 8:30
Featuring: Davia Spain, This is for Davia; Simone Moore, The Divorce Comedy: A spiritual study; and Alex Alpharaoh, O-Dogg: An Angeleno Take on Othello
Week Two: Nov. 5-7, 2020 at 8:30 p.m.
Featuring: Primera Generación, Nepantla; Xiaoyue Zhang, Little Red Book, or Plural Body; and randy reyes + Bapari, Real Talk # 1 (Pt. 2) | Vectors of Adverse Desires con un poco de tu disco stick
Week Three: Dec. 10-12, 2020 – at 8:30 p.m.
Featuring: DaEun Jung – Byoul Part 1: 246 in 40; Maria Garcia and Samantha Mohr – Laocoӧn with Cabiria at 9; and Genna Moroni – More
Ticketing: $15 general [$12 for members/students, $8 for CalArts students/faculty/staff] – $25 festival pass [See all three programs for $36]
All events are virtual, streamed from the REDCAT website. Tickets can be purchased HERE.
For more information, click HERE.
To visit the REDCAT website, click HERE.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
