Dec 1, 2022
-
Dec 22, 2022

Underneath the Skin

By John Kelly

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December 1 – 22, 2022

Thursday–Saturday at 7PM
Sunday at 2PM
Tuesday, December 20–Thursday, December 22 at 7PM

Ellen Stewart Theatre
66 East 4th Street, 2nd floor
New York, NY 10003

Tickets:

Adults: $30
Students/Seniors: $25
First 10 tickets are $10 (limit 2 per person)

Ticket prices are inclusive of all fees.

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About

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Underneath the Skin is a dance-theater work by renowned performance artist John Kelly. This work for four performers is based on the fantastical life of Samuel Steward (1909-1993), a gay novelist, tattoo artist, author of erotic fiction, and unabashed sexual adventurer, who lived a bold life pursuing his physical and erotic desires through his art.

This performance contains nudity, graphic images and mature themes; it is appropriate for ages 18+ only.

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Photo (top) by Josef Astor
Photos (below) by Albie Mitchell

Four men in glasses are on stage wearing striped button downs, argyle vests, and ties. There is a projection in the background of text about Hamlin Garland.
John Kelly, a white man with short hair, as Samuel Steward is sitting on a desk and looking up at a projection of an older white woman wearing an orange button down and a black detailed vest.
John Kelly, a white man with short hair, as Samuel Steward wearing a striped suit and tie and holding an open book in his hands in front of a dark background
A scene on stage of a tattoo shop where John Kelly, a white man with short hair, as Samuel Steward is tattooing a man in a sailor hat while two men in sailor costumes look through a flash book.
John Kelly as Samuel Steward is posing next to a desk and looking upward. The lighting is blue and in the background is a sailor with his hands behind his back facing the back wall.
John Kelly, a white man with short hair, as Samuel Steward is sitting in a chair with his legs crossed while two men have sex on a mattress behind him. There is a projection of two men in the background.

John Kelly is a performance and visual artist. His character-driven performance works stem from autobiographical, cultural, and political issues, the challenges faced by social outsiders, and the nature of creative genius. Kelly’s works have received 2 Bessie Awards, 2 Obie Awards, 2 NEA American Masterpiece Awards, a CalArts/Alpert Award, a Visual AIDS Vanguard Award, the Ethyl Eichelberger Award, and a Mabou Mines ‘Ruthie’ Award.

This piece was originally commissioned by and performed at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in 2019, with support from New York State Council on the Arts. The production expenses at La MaMa are supported by the Marta Heflin Foundation.

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