{{Short description|Venue in Santa Monica, California}} alt=Performance of "How to Make a Monster", at the Highways Performance Space, 2015|thumb|275x275px|Performance of "How to Make a Monster", at the Highways Performance Space, 2015 The '''Highways Performance Space''' is a performance venue in Santa Monica, California, which focuses on new works and alternative pieces. The organization is a space for LGBTQ artists to experiment with form and content. Performed work includes theatre, music, dance, spoken word, interactive media, and visual arts.
== History == The venue was founded in May 1989 by writer Linda Frye Burnham and performance artist Tim Miller. They were co-directors until 1992, when Burnham stepped down, leaving Miller as Artistic Director throughout the 1990s. Danielle Brazell served the position until December 2003. Leo Garcia, who had been involved with Highways since 1992, was named the executive director in 2003.<ref name=LABlade/><ref name=":0"/>In 2024, Garcia and Artistic Director Patrick Kennelly celebrated Highways' 35th anniversary.<ref name=LABlade/><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://highwaysperformance.org/about-us-2/|title=About Us|work=Highways Performance Space / Gallery|access-date=2017-12-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
The space prides itself on avoiding censoring its artists, and has thrived so far despite historical censorships and regulations on artists discussing the HIV/AIDS epidemic, one of the key issues facing the LGBTQ community in the organization’s earlier years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/highways-performance-space|title=Highways Performance Space {{!}} Los Angeles Conservancy|website=www.laconservancy.org|language=en|access-date=2017-12-07}}</ref>
== Galleries and Workshops == In addition to the main performance space, Highways also features two galleries and a workshop program, the Highways Performance Lab. Together, all the spaces present approximately 250 performances per year, and curate and exhibit about 12 contemporary visual art exhibits annually. They commission and premiere new work, organize special events, curate festivals, and offer residency and educational programs to engage community members in the arts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://18thstreet.org/artists/highways-performance-space/|title=Highways Performance Space {{!}} 18th Street Arts Center|work=18th Street Arts Center|access-date=2017-12-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
Some of the earliest workshops were led my Tim Miller himself, centered on gay male performance, and these workshops eventually expanded to other venues in the United States and Britain. Workshops ranged from one-day affairs to more complex processes, culminating in performances by the workshop participants. Several of Miller’s performances drew from experiences at the workshops, including his famous pieces ''My Queer Body'' and ''Us''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=1001 Beds: Performances, Essays, and Travels.|last=Johnson|first=Glen|publisher=University of Wisconsin, Madison|year=2006|location=Madison}}</ref>
== Past Artists == Highways has presented work from thousands of emerging artists and collectives. Below is a non-exhaustive list of some noteworthy artists that have had their work presented at Highways:
Luis Alfaro,<ref name=LABlade/> Elia Arce, Ron Athey,<ref name=LABlade/> Cornerstone Theater, Quentin Crisp, Patrisse Cullors,<ref name=LABlade>LA Blade Digital Staff (May 31, 2024). [https://www.losangelesblade.com/2024/05/31/las-home-for-queer-performing-arts-highways-celebrates-35-years/ LA’s home for queer performing arts, Highways celebrates 35 years.] ''Los Angeles Blade''.</ref> Diavolo Dance Theater, Karen Finley, John Fleck, Simone Forti, Rosanna Gamson Worldwide, Stephanie Gilliland, Guillermo Gomez-Pena,<ref name=LABlade/> The Hittite Empire, Dan Kwong, Los Angeles Poverty Dept.,<ref name=LABlade/> Victoria Marks, Sir Ian McKellen, Oguri, Rudy Perez, Phranc, Denise Uyehara, and Kristina Wong.<ref name=LABlade/>
== Current Festivals == {{more citations needed section|date=March 2018}}
=== Latina/o New Works Festival & Working Titles ===
Latina/o New Works series, featuring new performance, spoken word, dance, and inter-disciplinary works that speak to the evolution of established and emerging Latina/o artists on both a local and international level.
=== Highways’ Annual Poetry Festival ===
Features embraced local and national poets, slam champions, youth poets, editors, actors, authors, teachers and cultural workers from the queer, black, Asian, literary, Latina/o and hip-hop communities
=== Highways’ BEHOLD! A Queer Performance Festival ===
Inspired by Highways’ previous Ecce Lesbo-Ecce Homo Festival, it has expanded to a summer-long series of new LGBTQ performance, dance, spoken word, theater, multi-media, and ritual.
=== Queer Mondays ===
An un-curated LGBTQ experimental performance series that takes place on the last Monday of every month.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://highwaysperformance.org/events-6/|title=Events|work=Highways Performance Space / Gallery|access-date=2017-12-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Funding == Recently, Highways has received funding from the California Arts Council, California Community Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division, The L.A. County Department of Cultural Affairs, The Getty Grant Program and the City of West Hollywood, among others.<ref name=":0" />
However, due to the controversial nature of many of their projects, they have faced difficulties regarding funding in the past, including a 1995 incident regarding their Ecce Lesbo/Ecco Homo festival, which caused the NEA to revoke all their funding towards the institution and left them dependent on fund-raisers and ticket sales.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=smMEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22highways+performance+space%22|title=The Advocate|date=2000-02-15|publisher=Here Publishing|language=en}}</ref>
== Awards and Accolades == {{more citations needed section|date=March 2018}} Some of the institutions that have awarded the Highways Performance Space for its innovations as a community-based presenter include: * The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, * GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) (Community Service Award, 1994) * The Los Angeles Drama Critics Association.<ref name=":0" />
== See also == * Tim Miller * Linda Frye Burnham * Performance Art * Performance Space 122
== References == <references />
==External links== * [https://highwaysperformance.org Highways Performance Space] - official site
Category:Culture in Santa Monica, California Category:Organizations based in Los Angeles County, California Category:Theatres in Los Angeles County, California