Lovers of theater and global artistry rejoice, for the 15th annual Tricklock Revolutions Festival is upon us. By “seeking out and presenting the planet’s most revolutionary theatre and performing arts,” this three-week extravaganza delivers a phenomenal array of entertainment choices that support its mission to engender “cultural and artistic fusion.” There’s drama, comedy, dance, film, mime, poetry, acrobatics and improvisation. Bring. It. On.Settle in with the Revolutions Kick Off Party on Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Tricklock Performance Laboratory (110 Gold SW). From 7 to 9pm, the free shindig presents a chance to hobnob with the passel of participating artists. Savor Tractor beer and upbeat rhythms courtesy of Balkan dance band Goddess of Arno. You can also pick up festival passports, punch cards in sets of four or eight that let you see whichever Revolutions shows you choose. Buy them in person to avoid online service fees; prices range from $79 to $180.Venues all around town play host to the chock-full roster of avant-garde performances. The National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth Street SW) shows Antígona en la Frontera on Jan. 16 and ¡Gaytino! on Jan. 23 and 24. The former sets ancient Greek tragedy Antigone at the US-Mexico border, while the latter is a comedic monologue about being a gay, Chicano pop star. Sunshine Theater (120 Central SW) gives us MarchFourth Marching Band on Saturday, Jan. 17, a high-energy musical effulgence that’s a marching band in the same way merlot is just old grape juice. Family-friendly Beau & Aero hit UNM’s Experimental Theatre (203 Cornell NE) with their physical mishmash of mime, aviators, balloons and bumbling on Jan. 24 and 25. Keshet Center for the Arts (4121 Cutler NE) hosts The Woman Who Didn’t Want to Come Down to Earth, a sweet-and-dark absurdist conundrum of a theater piece about a troubled woman who defies gravity. That’s Jan. 28 and 31. I’m just scratching the surface here, so do check out revolutions2015.com for the full list of acts, events and workshops. With entertainers hailing from Iran, Ukraine, Mexico, Armenia and more, and local artists like Sarah Kennedy, Hakim Bellamy and Carlos Contreras, the Tricklock Revolutions Festival promises another shining season of eye-opening performance art.
Culture Shock: Megametrically Many Megametrically Many
David Foster Wallace’s 1993 essay “E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction” tossed a lightning bolt into the stodgy world of cultural criticism, arguing in irrefutably logical cadences that TV’s special brand of false voyeurism has surpassed the ability of modern literature to critique it. “We are the Audience,” he writes, “megametrically many, though most often we watch alone: E Unibus Pluram.” Artistic collective You’re On TV are running with the idea in their new exhibit opening at Harwood Art Center (1114 Seventh Street NW) Friday, Jan. 9, from 6 to 8pm. E Unibus Pluram includes works from glass mosaicist Kyle Erickson, multimedia artist Zane White and painter Matthew Thorson, as well as a multimedia television installation.They’re joined by local photography giant and Scotch tape aficionado Wes Naman’s We Are New Mexico: Portraits & Profiles. Along with collaborators Joy Godfrey, Collin Troy, Steven Westman, Justin de la Rosa, Gwyneth Doland, Dan Mayfield and more, the exhibit includes 500 portraits and stories culled from 20 cities in 20 days. Both shows run until Jan. 29; for more information, visit harwoodartcenter.org or call 242-6367.
