“I'm just an addict for American culture, and I'm obsessive about it, and it makes me angry… And every day when I wake up I'm just amazed at the thickness of this culture.” - Reza Abdoh

Reza Abdoh (1963–1995) was a firebrand, impresario, and artist known for his large-scale, multimedia experimental theater productions staged in abandoned and provisional spaces. Active in Los Angeles and New York City throughout the 1990s, Abdoh specialized in using repetition and spectacle in ways that were simultaneously overwhelming and disarming. His work often drew comparisons to the avant-garde theater of the 1970s, particularly the productions of Richard Foreman and the Wooster Group. However, Abdoh carved out his own distinct voice, blending collaged text, rigorous repetition, and a pastiche of languages drawn from both mainstream and subcultural realms.

“Part of the effect is that it needs to be all-encompassing, it needs to envelop you. A lot of people hate it. A lot of the criticism of my work is that it's loud,” Abdoh once explained in an interview. “But I belong to a rock-and-roll generation. I belong to a TV generation. I can’t help it.”

In addition to his theater work, Abdoh also created several videos during the 1990s, often in collaboration with his longtime friend and video designer Adam Soch. KAJE is proud to present a series of both taped performances and original videos by Abdoh January 30th—February 2nd.

Doors at 7:30PM | Screenings at 8PM Nightly.

PROGRAMME

JANUARY 30: The Law of Remains (1992) directed by Reza Abdoh, video by Adam Soch.

Performed at Diplomat Hotel 116 West 43d Street February-March 1992.

Created and directed by Reza Abdoh; produced by Diane White; sets, Sonia Balassanian; lights, Rand Ryan; sound, Raul Vincent Enriquez; video Adam Soch; costumes, Liz Widulski; production stage manager, Mike Taylor. Edited by Adam Soch and Brenden Doyle. Presented by Dar A Luz.

WITH: Sabrina Artel, Brenden Doyle, Anita Durst, Giuliana Francis, Stephan Francis, Ariel Herrera, Priscilla Holbrook, Peter Jacobs, Kwasi Boateng, Sardar Singh Khalsa, Veronica Pawlowska, Raphael Pimental, Tom Pearl, Tony Torn and Kathryn Walsh. Drummer, Carlos Rodriguez.

JANUARY 31: "I believe that one has to not be a victim": Reza Abdoh Video Program 1. TRT 60 minutes.

FEBRUARY 1: Father Was a Peculiar Man (1990) by Reza Abdoh. Editing and Split-Screen Design by Tony Torn. 120 minutes.

FEBRUARY 2: Projections for Stage: Reza Abdoh Video Program 2. 55 minutes.

Sleeping with the Devil: Videos by Reza Abdoh was organized by Ben Lipkin. Thanks to Adam Soch, Sandy Cleary, Tony Torn, and the Reza Abdoh Estate.

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Reza Abdoh (1963-1995) was an Iranian-born American director and playwright known for his large-scale, experimental theatrical productions. A prolific artist even in his short, creative life, Abdoh died of AIDS in 1995 at the age of 32, having created an impressive body of stage spectacles known for their sensory overload, ferocious energy and hallucinatory dreamscapes. With his company Dar A Luz, formed in 1991, Abdoh created plays that have made a major impact on experimental theatre worldwide.

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