Sharon Lockhart and Ariel Osterweis to Host a Talent Show at REDCAT

If you can’t find talent at CalArts, you can’t find it anywhere! On April 14, REDCAT hosts Talent Show, a series of wacky acts by artists and performers of all ages, hosted by comedian emcee Christina Catherine Martinez.

Talent Show emerges from the CalArts course of the same name, taught by School of Art faculty member Sharon Lockhart and School of Dance faculty member Ariel Osterweis. Exploring topics such as amateurism, aspiration, awkwardness, and adolescence with an eye toward U.S. and global entertainment, the course interrogates the charged relationships between freak shows, circus, talent shows, and reality TV. The course culminates in a full-scale talent show at REDCAT.

Graduates, undergraduates, alumni, and professional guest artists of all disciplines will come together to put on the production, embracing their most unprofessional and gawky instincts and exploring hidden talents that lie beyond their artistic expertise.

“Yes to amateurism! Yes to virtuosity! Yes to awkwardness and adolescence, aspiration, and ambition! From concert performance to clunky experimentalism, Talent Show seeks to unite high and low. When is a talent show a freak show, a magic show, a circus, a pageant, a musical, or a TV competition?,” Lockhart and Osterweis ask. “We’ve held auditions, we’ve made cuts; now it’s your turn to decide who’s got talent!”