Alive from Off Center
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Alive from Off Center

The series Alive from Off Center took performance into the realm of broadcast television by featuring groundbreaking work on the frontiers of comedy, dance, music, performance, and video from a new generation of international artists. This month’s Lecture Room program features two landmark episodes.

Drawing on broken toys, dust, and detritus, the Brothers Quay create a mesmerizing and mysterious scenario in two early short films: Street of Crocodiles and The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer. A Personal History of the American Theater demonstrates the unique talents of celebrated actor/storyteller Spalding Gray, and reveals often amusing monologues that transformed his personal life into a powerful series of one-man shows. 1987 and 1985, video, 28 minutes each episode.