Witch’s Kitchen: Banquet & Cabaret

Active Cultures is thrilled to present Witch’s Kitchen Banquet and Cabaret: an eclectic set of performances and collaborations conceived and directed by artist Shana Lutker that celebrates the grotesque, the surreal, and the underground. The series marks the culmination of this multifaceted, three year project hosted by Lutker that expands on the generative intersection of performance and presence through the legacy of spirit guide Valeska Gert (1892-1978).

Banquet

A witchy artist feast accompanied by an intimate performance of newly commissioned interpretations of Valeska Gert’s dances by Jessica Hemingway, Bashir Naim, Kensaku Shinohara, and Emily Mast with Reza Arzanian. Plus special guests.

Cabaret

Two kaleidoscopic evenings of music, dance, and performance exploring the boundaries of performance and audience, the strange and extravagant, both on and off the stage. The Cabaret is co-directed by Shana Lutker and Mexico and France-based artist Adriana Lara / Red Social.

Hosted by the fabulous Page M. Person, both evenings featured performers Hemingway, Mast, & Arzanian, Naim, and Shinohara. The full line-up is listed below!

This program was generously hosted by 2220 Arts + Archives, an interdisciplinary event space that is focused on experimentation, improvisation and adventure across a broad spectrum of artists and art practices. Its calendar is curated and cooperatively programmed by roughly a dozen LA-based independent programmers and cultural nonprofits, including many that are long standing in the city.