Season info at www.redcat.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kelly Hargraves, khargraves@calarts.edu, 213-237-2873

MEMBERS OF THE PRESS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THURSDAY OCTOBER 22, 2015 8:30 PM

FOR REVIEW CONSIDERATION RSVP TO khargraves@calarts.edu

REDCAT presents

Theater Artist John Fleck’s Blacktop Highway

Thursday, October 22, 2015 to Sunday, October 25, 2015

WATCH TRAILER HERE

"There are gale-force winds with less vigor than John Fleck.” – The Village Voice

"Irrepressible energy and engaging presence.” – The New York Times

Unclassifiable Los Angeles-based performer John Fleck returns to REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for the contemporary arts, Thursday October 22 to Sunday October 25, 2015, just in time to warm you up for Halloween.

Fleck re-invents the gothic horror genre in this horrifyingly hysterical tale of taxidermy, transformation and caged creatures. Fleck’s multi-character solo piece —first staged at REDCAT’s New Original Works Festival— is a brilliantly staged screenplay, inspired by classic horror cinema and Freud’s Theory of Mind (Id, Ego and Super Ego) — all played out on one man’s body. Weaving video with theatrical movement and his remarkable vocal qualities, Fleck leads the audience on a journey into a darkly hilarious world.

Actor and performance artist Fleck became infamous in 1990, when he and three other performance artists, now known as the NEA-4, were denied funding by the National

Endowment for the Arts because of religious and political pressure. Not content to be merely a footnote in art history books, Fleck continues to turn stereotypes upside down and tackle taboos with new work.

In recent years, Fleck has become a renowned solo artist with Mad Woman, directed by Ric Montejano, which won the 2012 LA Weekly Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. Other critically acclaimed solo shows include: Side EFFlecks May Include; Johnny’s Got a Gun; Nothin’ Beats Pussy; Dirt, me; A Snowball’s Chance in Hell; Blessed are all the Little Fishes; Psycho Opera and I got the He-Be-She-Be’s.

Fleck’s recent theater credits include PEACE (Culture Clash @ the Getty Villa), Tobacco Road (La Jolla Playhouse), Applause (Reprise, UCLA), A Perfect Wedding (Kirk Douglas Theater), Noises Off (Cape Playhouse-Dennis, Mass.), She Stoops to Comedy, Small Craft Warnings, Cringe & Berlin Circle (Evidence Room), On the Jump (South Coast Rep), The Mystery of Irma Vep (Tiffany Theater), The Granny (Old Globe), The Illusion (LATC).

TV/Film work includes True Blood; Criminal Minds; Anger Management; The Middle, Weeds; The Closer; Nip/Tuck; Carnivale; Startrek Enterprise; Seinfeld; Murder One; Tales of the City Falling Down; Waterworld; which enable him financial fluidity to create his, not necessarily for profit, performance art.

“I believe the artistic value the horror film most frequently offers is its ability to form a liaison between our fantasy fears and our real fears.” — Stephen King

BLACK TOP HIGHWAY

Written and Performed by John Fleck Director/Dramaturg: Randee Trabitz Video Designer: Heather Fipps Costume Designer: Christina Wright Lighting Designer: Vortex Lighting Sound Designer: Catasonic Records Promotional Videotaping: Adam Soch JOHN FLECK: BLACKTOPHIGHWAY

REVIEWS ARTIST WEBSITE VIDEO TRAILER REDCAT WEBSITE LINK/PURCHASE TICKETS PHOTOS TICKET INFO:

Date/Time GEN MEMSTUD CALART

THU 10/22 8:30 pm $20 $16 $10

FRI 10/23 8:30 pm $20 $16 $10

SAT 10/24 8:30 pm $25 $20 $12

SUN 10/25 7:00 pm $25 $20 $12

G - General Audience M - REDCAT Members ST - Students CA - CalArts Students/Faculty/Staff Purchase online or call the REDCAT box office to purchase at 213-237-2800.

+++++++++++++ ABOUT REDCAT | THE ROY AND EDNA DISNEY/CALARTS THEATER REDCAT, CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, presents a dynamic and international mix of innovative visual, performing and media arts year round. Located inside the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall complex in downtown Los Angeles, REDCAT houses a theater, a gallery space and a lounge. Through performances, exhibitions, screenings, and literary events, REDCAT introduces diverse audiences, students and artists to the most influential developments in the arts from around the world, and gives artists in this region the creative support they need to achieve national and international stature. REDCAT continues the tradition of the California Institute of the Arts, its parent organization, by encouraging experimentation, discovery and lively civic discourse. GENERAL INFORMATION For current program and exhibition information call 213-237-2800 or visit www.redcat.org. LOCATION/PARKING Street Address: 631 West 2nd Street, Los Angeles CA 90012 REDCAT is located in downtown Los Angeles inside the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex with a separate entrance at the corner of West 2nd and Hope Streets. Parking is available in the Walt Disney Concert Hall parking structure. $9 event rate or $5 for vehicles entering after 8:00 pm on weekdays. THE LOUNGE | Open to the public six days a week, the Lounge is a great place to spend an afternoon or grab a drink pre- and post-performance. Lounge Hours: Tuesdays–Fridays from 9am until 8 pm or post-show; Saturdays from noon until 8 pm or post-show; Sundays from noon until 6pm or post-show THE GALLERY | REDCAT's Gallery presents five major exhibitions each year, and publishes artist books and catalogues. Admission to the Gallery is FREE. Gallery Hours: Tuesdays–Sundays from noon until 6 pm and through intermission THE THEATER | Tickets for programs held in the theater are available through the REDCAT Box Office, by phone 213-237-2800 or online at www.redcat.org. Group, member, student and CalArts faculty/staff discounts available. Box Office Hours: Tuesdays–Saturday from noon until 6 pm or two hours prior to curtain

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MEDIA CONTACT Kelly Hargraves Marketing & Media Manager 213 237-2873