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Performance Art

In this section, you’ll find content about work that falls into the category of performance art, which often includes interdisciplinary work, especially work that combines visual art and performance, and is based around the actions of the artist. A great place to start is the series Conversations Across Generations, featuring dialogues between UK-based performance artists discussing their work, lives, and inspiration.

The Latest

Making Space for Queer Futurity in Texas
Podcast
Making Space for Queer Futurity in Texas
by Nicolas Shannon Savard, p1nkstar global, Melissa Lin Sturges
16 August 2023
The Fourth Black Spatial Relics Convening
Video
The Fourth Black Spatial Relics Convening
A Constellation of Artist Talks, Ceremonies, a Digital Performance Showcase, and Varied Conjures/Facilitations on Black Virtuosic Hope-Building
Thursday 27 July - Sunday 30 July 2023
Philadelphia, PA
Brecht on Brecht//Müller on Müller
Video
Brecht on Brecht//Müller on Müller
An Improvisation Inspired by George Tabori’s Legendary Brecht on Brecht Collage
Thursday 23 March 2023
New York City
Performing Knowledge: What Does Learning Feel Like?
Video

Performing Knowledge: What Does Learning Feel Like?

at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City

Thursday 12 December 2019
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Center presented Performing Knowledge: What Does Learning Feel Like? livestreamed on the commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 10 December 2019.

actor attached to wire sculpture lines
this is where we draw the line
Video

this is where we draw the line

presented by Fabrica de Pensule in Cluj, Romania

Sunday 27 October 2019
Cluj, Romania

Fabrica de Pensule presented a performance of this is where we draw the line livestreaming from Cluj, Romania on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV at howlround.tv on Sunday 27 October at 20:00 EET (Cluj, UTC +2) / 18:00 (London, UTC +0) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4).

two actors onstage
Gravity and Responsibility in Film, TV, and Choreography
Essay

Gravity and Responsibility in Film, TV, and Choreography

25 September 2019

Choreographer Malik Nashad Sharpe and film & TV director Liza Johnson talk gravity, abstraction and risk, ethics, and more.

a person with a large bean bag over their head standing alone in the desert
Bring the Conversation
Essay

Bring the Conversation

On Twitter, What We Leave Behind, and Processing Trauma

23 September 2019

Demi Nandhra and Rajni Shah talk about their performance practices, social media, mental health, ego, and more.

a group sitting in three concentric circles inside a large windowed space
The Intersection of Digital Technology and Live Performance
Essay

The Intersection of Digital Technology and Live Performance

Observations from HowlRound and SpiderWebShow’s Digital + Performance Convening

12 August 2019

May Antaki reflects on the Digital + Performance Convening, produced by HowlRound Theatre Commons and SpiderWebShow Performance, which focused on the intersection of digital technology and live performance.

New Theatre from Spain with Luz Arcas
Video

New Theatre from Spain with Luz Arcas

at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Monday 20 May 2019
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented New Theatre from Spain with Luz Arcas livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Monday 20 May at 1 p.m. PDT (San Francisco UTC-7) / 4 p.m. EDT (New York UTC-4) / 20:00 UTC+0 / 9 p.m. BST (London UTC+1).

actors onstage
The Why and How of Site-Specific
Essay

The Why and How of Site-Specific

From Then to Now

2 May 2019

Anne Hamburger, founder of En Garde Arts, talks about the beginnings of her company, and, with it, the beginnings of site-specific theatre in New York City.

Creating Work and Artistic Homes
Video

Creating Work and Artistic Homes

Friday 26 January 2018

HowlRound at Emerson College in Boston presented a conversation with performance artist Taylor Mac, HERE Arts Center Artistic Director Kristin Marting, and designer Machine Dazzle livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 26 January 2018 at 4:30 p.m. EST (Boston) / 3:30 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 1:30 p.m. PST (San Francisco) / 21:30 GMT (London, UTC +0). 

photo of a man lying down with a plant hanging above
Livestreaming a performance of (UN)ROOTED 
Video

Livestreaming a performance of (UN)ROOTED 

at The VORTEX in Austin, Texas

Friday 14 December
Austin, Texas

Corps Multiple, in partnership with The VORTEX in Austin, Texas, presents (UN)ROOTED livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 14 December at 6 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 8 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 9 p.m. EDT (New York) / 20:10 GMT+1 (London).

photo of artists in a studio
Conversation with Choreographer Michael Kliën
Video

Conversation with Choreographer Michael Kliën

Martin E. Segal Theatre Center

Monday 3 December 2018
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented a conversation with choreographer Michael Kliën livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Monday 3 December 2018 at 5:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles) / 7:30 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 8:30 p.m. EST (New York).

Prelude Festival logo
The Prelude 2018 Festival
Video

The Prelude 2018 Festival

Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City

Thursday 4 October - Saturday 6 October 2018
New York City

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presents the Prelude 2018 Festival in New York City livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Thursday 4 October - Saturday 6 October 2018.

The Orphan in Me
Essay

The Orphan in Me

Generational Trauma in Hyung Seok Jeon’s A Held Posture

6 May 2018

Dominick DeGaetano reflects on Hyung Seok Jeon’s A Held Posture, which last performed at Theaterlab in New York City in January 2018.

Using Storytelling and Dance to Transform a Community Space
Essay

Using Storytelling and Dance to Transform a Community Space

1 May 2018

Caroline Prugh discusses Kaimera Productions’ SPACES, a site-specific performance weaving together storytelling and dance that took place in June 2017 at the Harlem Arts Festival in New York City.

Five Grounding Techniques to Cultivate Resilient Ensembles
Essay

Five Grounding Techniques to Cultivate Resilient Ensembles

28 March 2018

US director and health and wellness educator Molly Schenck describes five useful rehearsal techniques for ensembles to adapt when creating work around difficult topics.

Queer Climate Performance Art in the Most Unlikely Places
Essay

Queer Climate Performance Art in the Most Unlikely Places

20 March 2018

Peterson Toscano describes his solo show Everything is Connected, which tackles religion, LGBTQ issues, privilege, and climate change.

Roy Cohn/Jack Smith: Remembering Ron Vawter
Video

Roy Cohn/Jack Smith: Remembering Ron Vawter

Monday 13 November 2017

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented Roy Cohn/Jack Smith: Remembering Ron Vawter livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 13 November 2017 at 8 p.m. EST (New York) / 7 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 5 p.m. PST (Los Angeles).

Actors stand in front of a collage of faces along the back wall of a theatre
The Art of Listening Is Political
Essay

The Art of Listening Is Political

27 October 2017

In the fifth installment of this series, Brendan McCall reflects on the work of Norwegian American vocalist Kristin Norderval, and how her art transforms listening into a political act.

2017 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award
Video

2017 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award

Monday 23 October 2017
New York, NY, United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented 2017 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award: Adelheid Roosen, co-presented with the League of Professional Theatre Women, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 23 October at 10:30 a.m. EDT (New York) / 9:30 a.m. CDT (Chicago) / 7:30 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles).

Bodies on the Edge
Essay

Bodies on the Edge

Ximena Garnica and Shige Moriya’s Becoming Pentalogy

20 October 2017

Multidisciplinary artist and cultural producer Ivan Talijancic interviews New York based duo Ximena Garnica and Shige Moriya about LEIMAY ensemble, their recent production Frantic Beauty, and the creation process for their five-part Becoming series.

PRELUDE 2017 Festival
Video

PRELUDE 2017 Festival

Wednesday 4 October through Friday 6 October 2017
New York, NY, United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center presented the Prelude 2017 festival livestreamed on the global, commons-based and peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 4 October through Friday 6 October 2017. See the livestream schedule below. Share your thoughts on Twitter and Instagram with #howlround@PRELUDENYC, and #PRELUDE17.

The Sonic Harvests of Øystein Elle / Capto Musicae
Essay

The Sonic Harvests of Øystein Elle / Capto Musicae

18 August 2017

In the third installment of this series, Brendan McCall discusses the work of Norwegian artist Øystein Elle and his company Capto Musicae. Originally a classically trained opera singer, Elle now works in a hybrid performance field combining live and recorded music, with performances that border on vocal concerts or art installations.

We’re All That
Essay

We’re All That

Raja Feather Kelly and the Imprint of Pop

25 July 2017

The Feath3r Theory post-ballet theatre musical about the influence of pop culture on how we live.

50 Years of Theatre of the Ridiculous
Video

50 Years of Theatre of the Ridiculous

Monday 15 May 2017
New York, NY, United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented 50 Years of Theatre of the Ridiculous​ livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 15 May at 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 3:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles).

Calling All Bad Hombres and Nasty Women for a Nation-wide Day of Performance Protest
Essay

Calling All Bad Hombres and Nasty Women for a Nation-wide Day of Performance Protest

20 January 2017

Sara Warner interviews performance artists Holly Hughes and Lois Weaver and social media coordinator Mary Jo Watts about their initiative Not My Presidents’ Day.

One Queen’s Highly Personal/Subjective Reaction to Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music
Essay

One Queen’s Highly Personal/Subjective Reaction to Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music

15 December 2016

Rob Oronato on Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, a “communal, intelligent, erotic, participatory, spectacular performance art concert; a marathon survey dedicated to destroying through exposure the racism, patriarchy, supremacy, and fascism suppressing the fabulosity of all our country’s different beleaguered Others over the years.”