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.