Taylor Mac is a MacArthur genius. You need to know about his 24-hour extravaganza
For the past 20 years, Taylor Mac has created spectacular award-winning performance events that at once provoke and embrace his diverse audience with their passion. In Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, he charts the history of popular music and activism in America, from the nation’s founding in 1776 to the present day. This uniquely original performance art concert featuring many special guests will be presented over 2 weeks at the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA. Winner of the 2017 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, and a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Drama, the production has been hailed by The New York Times critic Wesley Morris as “one of the great experiences of my life.”
"Taylor Mac, the gender-bending theater artist and provocateur, has been named a 2017 MacArthur fellow. As one of the grant winners announced Tuesday night by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Mac will receive one of the $625,000 so-called genius grants as the artist prepares the groundbreaking “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” for Los Angeles. The 24-hour-long extravaganza — divided into four parts, each six hours — will come to the Theatre at Ace Hotel in March as part of the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA’s 2017-18 season.
Click here for a look back at some critical moments in the development of that show."— Jessica Gelt, Oct. 10, 2017
Read the full article at the Los Angeles Times website.