January can be to the performing arts as the midnight hours are to television—repositories for the weird, the risky, and ultimately, test patterns. In that vein, nobody knew what to expect in 1989, when the Walker Art Center and Southern Theater defrosted their January calendars by clustering a program of new, experimental, and under-the radar work. Today, the Out There series is an annual bedrock of…

Backstory “If there’s any politics about my work, it’s to put individuals at the center of the discussion rather than treating them like sheep.” Talking one-on-one with Faustin Linyekula makes you realize how much we are led by appearances, and how misleading appearances can be. As is probably the case with so many people he meets (black, white, brown—on whatever continent he may be), this powerful man…

OK, it goes something like this: there are four of them and one is Hero (although later on he decides to be the Villain), one is the Location Scout, one is the Publicity Agent, and one is the Casting Director, and it all starts at the end, when you’re in the bar before the show has really started and you get given these sparklers and streamers and you’re asked to welcome the performers back into the…