DENTAXUVIA is a multi-layered performance that fuses the unique artistic visions of Huntrezz Janos (CalArts Film/Video BFA ‘18) and Antigoni Tsagkaropoulou by using technology, sculpture, and poetry to conjure a fragmented futuristic scene of ecocyberfeminist insurgents. In this sci-fi explosion of visuals, the tangible meets the intangible as Janos and Tsagkaropoulou perform in wearable sculptures and as avatars in their virtual world. The result is an act of queer resistance that transports audiences on a supernatural journey and ignites belief that anyone can shed old skins and reclaim agency in the face of oppressive regimes.
REDCAT Presents the 20th Annual New Original Works (NOW) Festival
Across Three Weekends:
Aug. 17-19, Aug. 24-26, Aug. 31-Sep. 2, 2023
Nine New Contemporary Performances Given Support for Their World Premieres
Week One:
JOJO ABOT, Tuixén Benet,
Jordi & Ironstone with Cade & Mx. Matías
Week Two:
Vanessa Hernández Cruz, Melissa Ferrari, Kevin Williamson
Week Three:
Erica Bitton, Mark Golamco,
Huntrezz Janos and Antigoni Tsagkaropouloou
"On the pulse of cutting-edge contemporary performance" – Los Angeles Times
“The odds of seeing something amazing are pretty good.” – Los Angeles Magazine
"This is the festival that keeps weird, live performance relevant, dangerous and alive." – KPCC
"See what’s cutting-edge in the city’s vibrant performing arts scene." – Time Out LA
LOS ANGELES (July 5, 2023) -- Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater (REDCAT), CalArts' downtown center for contemporary arts, proudly presents the 20th annual New Original Works (NOW) Festival, a celebration of Los Angeles' vibrant community of artists creating new performance work, over three weekends this summer: Aug. 17-19, Aug. 24-26, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, 2023.
This year’s festival showcases nine new works by Los Angeles artists who are redefining the boundaries of contemporary performance, reinventing disciplines, reimagining traditions, and confronting today’s most urgent issues. With a sharp interest in rituals, fantasies and memories, these works use history and technology to formulate diverse, other-worldly futures that provide a counterpart to our reality while allowing us to examine the injustices around us.
NOW Festival 2023 was organized by Edgar Miramontes, REDCAT’s former Deputy Executive Director & Curator, with Rolando Rodriguez, Administrative Manager. Participating artists were selected through an open application process helmed by a committee of artists and NOW Festival alumni including Sola Bamis (CalArts MFA ‘11), Dami Spain, and Rosanna Tavarez.
“NOW Festival has been introducing impactful new work to the world for the past two decades,” said João Ribas, REDCAT’s Steven D. Lavine Executive Director and Vice President for Cultural Partnerships. “NOW Festival continues to be driven by experimentation and each year, artists give us an opportunity to view the world and our collective future in new and imaginative ways. Now more than ever, it is important to support the voices of artists, and we look forward to continuing this vital tradition for many years to come.”
In the spirit of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), REDCAT's parent institution, the NOW Festival has served as a catalyst for creativity and new ideas for more than two decades. Each year, NOW Festival premieres new and innovative work in contemporary dance, theater, music, and multimedia performance by Los Angeles-based artists. All artistic teams receive production, technical support, and artist fees. Since the first edition in 2004, NOW Festival has presented the work of over 200 artists who continue to be seen on stages throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Each of the three festival weekends features a triple bill of world premieres in a shared evening. Each program will premiere on Thursday evening and repeat Friday and Saturday at 8:30 pm. Performances will also be livestreamed each Saturday evening during the festival’s run. Patrons can also purchase a pass to attend all three weekends of the festival, both in-person and virtually.