Off Center Festival
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| Off Center Festival 2012 January 13-21, 7:30-11 p.m. Segerstrom Center for the Arts 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa 714.556.2787 :: scfta.org |
If you think you don’t like performance art, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Off Center Festival might make you reconsider.
Billed as nine days of adventurous contemporary theater, music and dance, an eclectic mix of actors, artists and musicians will gather to perform various shows. They’ve actually rounded up some really outside-the-box stuff that looks like it might be wondrously inspiring. For a full schedule of all the events, visit scfta.org, but here are some highlights:
The festival kicks off January 13 with Lord Huron, whose music has been called an “auditory travelogue” with special guest and local band The Union Line in Founders Hall at 10 p.m. But before the show, make sure to stop by the Samueli Theater for Chautauqua!, a variety show of lectures, comedy and music featuring performances by OC Weekly "Ask a Mexican" columnist Gustavo Arellano at 7:30 p.m. (Chautauqua! continues on January 14 and 15 with different performers.)
I’m most looking forward to The Car Plays, which turns the inside of 15 parked cars into a stage for five plays. The audience moves from car to car to witness these voyeuristic performances running in the Arts Plaza on January 14, 15, 20, and 21 at 5:30, 7 and 8:30 p.m. ReEntry on January 18-20 at 8 p.m. in Founders Hall is a play that examines the lives of Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Then there’s Ten Tiny Dances, choreographed by 10 different choreographers and all performed on one, very small stage in the Samueli Theater on January 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m.
But this really doesn’t do any of these performances justice. To get a better idea of just how much inspirational potential these acts have, watch this video, or better yet, just go.
