Michael Jackson Was Innocent and I Didn’t Kill Jonbenet Ramsey… But I Was There the Night She Died Michael Cross Burke

About This Show

In Michael Jackson Was Innocent and I Didn’t Kill Jonbenet Ramsey… But I Was There the Night She Died, award-winning queer performance artist Michael Cross Burke, known for his ‘unflinching honesty’ uses found & original text to tell the story of corruption, wealth and tabloids told from the eyes of a 12-year old boy. Juxtapozed with Burke’s obsessive research on the Jonbenet Ramsey case and his escape from porn and prostitution, this oddly humorous and eccentric journey digs its teeth deep into the U.S. Court System and celebrity culture by fully exposing the intricacies of greed and deceit (and the front of his own body.)

About the Artists

Michael Cross Burke is a NYC-based queer performance artist & dancer whose acclaimed solo works have been presented nationally, internationally and throughout NYC at places like Dixon Place, La MaMa, HERE Arts Center, The National Gay & Lesbian Theater Festival,BAAD, Highways Performance Space (LA) Festival, SEEN+ HEARD Festival (Atlanta, GA), Buddies in Bad Times Theater (Toronto), Austin Arts Center, among many others as well as extensive colleges/university tours. He is the director of the Trinity/La MaMa Performing Arts Program and Professor in the Theater & Dance Dept. at Trinity College. Some performance credits include: Penny Arcades’ BITCH! DYKE! FAGHAG! WHORE!!! Holly Hughes’ 1998 NYC premiere of Preaching to the Perverted, as well as collaborations with Tim Miller. Traditional theater credits include multiple productions with the “Obie” award-winning Peculiar Works Project,The Ordinary Theatre Company, andtwo seasons with CT Shakespeare Festival.

Gian Marco Lo Forte (director) is originally from Italy and a NYC-based director and writer of multimedia live music and video works. Gian Marco is an artist-in-residence at La MaMa where he founded in association with Abby Felder, PIONEERS GO EAST COLLECTIVE. Since 2010 PGEC works have been presented at LA MAMA (S 16; I Fioretti in Musica); at ST. ANN’S WAREHOUSE and GOVERNORS ISLAND (Hildegard Vision), INCUBATOR ARTS PROJECT (7AM; Maria Celeste Galileo), CHASHAMA and GOETHE INSTITUT (The Birds and The Wolf). Upcoming works in 2015: American Mill # 2 at LA MAMA and a new work written by queer performance artist Michael Burke (DIXON PLACE).  Selected directing and/or design work presented in NYC: LA MAMA; GALAPAGOS; HERE; WET; NYTW; ART ON AIR and he designed for Pan Asian Rep; Magis Co; Watson Arts; Operating Theatre; Slant; May Adrales; Edward Einhorn; Ernest Abuba; Kevin Augustine; Ellen Stewart. Gian Marco is in residence with GREAT JONES REP and has designed at BIENNALE OF VENICE and toured in Europe. Awards: Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (’11-‘14); The Puffin Foundation (’12 & ‘14); LMCC’s Process Space Residency (’14); Nancy Quinn Fund – A.R.T./ New York (’14); Chashama Residency (’12); Opera America – Alfred L. Tobin Director and Production Design (’10).

Daniel Diaz (performer/collaborator) is a NYC- based performer.  With a focus on modern street and interpretative dance, his career consists of movement and choreography for several influential New York musicians including Shadow Lover, Omega Jarden and more. Daniel has performed at major local venues including PS1 Moma, The Brooklyn Museum, Coney Island Sideshows by the Seashore, Joe’s Pub, and Dixon Place, as well as various nightlife spots up and down the East Coast. Daniel’s passion has drawn him to aspects beyond dance including acting, performance art, and set design – branding him “A Creature of The Stage”.

 

Thursdays, July 16 & 23 at 7:30
Fridays, July 17 & 24 at 10:00pm

General Admission
$15 in advance
$18 at the door

Students/Seniors
$12

Estimated Runtime
90 mins

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Credits

Featuring
Daniel Diaz

Directed by
Gian Marco Lo Forte

Photo Credit
Krys Fox