Walker’s ‘Out There’ performance series lives up to its name

New York City’s downtown theater scene arrives for a rare stay in the Twin Cities this winter when the Walker Art Center presents “Out There 2026,” its annual festival of experimental performance, opening Jan. 8. 

Three of the festival’s four artists hail from New York’s downtown scene, characterized by an avant-garde energy distinct from Broadway: performance art clown Alex Tatarsky, choreographer and performance artist Nile Harris, and the influential experimental theater company the Wooster Group. The fourth, UK-based physical comedy duo Bert & Nasi, shares a similar absurdist approach. 

Now in its fourth decade, “Out There” showcases work outside of conventional theater and dance forms. Each series presents full-length performances over several weeks, giving audiences the chance to experience artists rarely seen outside major cultural hubs and international festivals. While the Walker does not assign a formal theme, this year’s works emphasize physical comedy, clowning and absurdist humor.

Deep-rooted connections between the groups highlight the exchange of ideas that help to define the downtown scene. Nile Harris, who presents the blistering “this house is not a home,” is not only a close friend of clown Alex Tatarsky, but also recently started working with the Wooster Group on two future works.  

Founded in the mid-1970s, the Wooster Group gained international recognition for its radical productions and launching the careers of performers like Spalding Gray, Willem Dafoe and others. 

Related: Ten moments of awe from the 2025 Minnesota arts scene

“Practically everybody we’ve presented has been influenced in some way, directly or indirectly, by the Wooster Group,” said Philip Bither, the Walker’s performing arts curator.

But in keeping with the troupe’s experimental spirit, the younger artists often take the work in new directions. That rebellion is welcome, said Kate Valk, a 45-year veteran of the Wooster Group and co-director of their show, “Symphony of Rats.”. 

“Everybody has to turn around and shake their fist at the past to make their new identity,” she said in a Zoom interview. 

Here’s a closer look at what’s coming up during the festival: 

Alex Tatarsky: ‘Sad Boys in Harpy Land’ (Jan. 8–10)

New York–based performance artist and clown Alex Tatarsky opens the series with “Sad Boys in Harpy Land,” a physically driven solo work. The piece draws inspiration from a collage series by visual artist Helen Adams, Tatarsky said. “There are all these sad, gnarled trees and really intense, vicious harpies,” spirits from classical mythology. The performance treats inner emotional landscapes as absurd, hellish terrain, explored through clowning and physical humor.

Nile Harris: ‘this house is not a home’ (Jan. 22–24)

Performance artist Nile Harris presents the politically charged “this house is not a home.” Harris developed the performance with his late friend and collaborator Trevor Basile. “The piece started with us acquiring a bouncy house castle,” Harris said.

Inspired by the uprising following the murder of George Floyd, Harris and Basile viewed the bouncy castle as a symbol of U.S. capitalism and protest spectacle. “We had this dream of allowing people to jump in the inflatable castle as some sort of insurgent image.” After Basile’s death, Harris continued the work as both a memorial and a critique, incorporating dance and performance art to examine grief, resistance and Black political expression. Bither calls it a “blistering, funny and dark and very weird and provocative critique of a crumbling democracy.”

Bert & Nasi: ‘L’Addition’ (Feb. 5–7)

UK-based duo Bert & Nasi perform “L’Addition,” a wordless physical comedy directed by Tim Etchells, artistic director of the experimental theater company Forced Entertainment. The pair won an award from Forced Entertainment in 2020, marking them as rising voices within the UK’s experimental performance scene.

Bithers, who saw the performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, called it “hilarious and brilliant at the same time.” The piece blends precision timing, physical comedy and escalating absurdity, appealing even to audiences new to experimental theater.

The Wooster Group: ‘Symphony of Rats’ (Feb. 25-28)

The series concludes with the Wooster Group’s “Symphony of Rats,” a new take on a 1988 play by experimental playwright Richard Foreman. The piece centers on a character known as The President (played by Ari Fliakos) who believes he is receiving messages from outer space. 

“It’s more about the mind and the consciousness than it is any kind of satire about a real president,” said Valk, who co-directs the production. The staging transforms the McGuire Theater into what Valk describes as a “spaceship gallery museum,” combining live performance with intricate video design.

Together, the four “Out There” performances offer Minnesota audiences a snapshot of contemporary experimental performance. From emerging voices to long-established innovators, the artists areunited less by style than by a willingness to take risks, disrupt expectations and invite audiences into unfamiliar theatrical terrain.

Individual tickets start at $35. Visit walkerart.org for details.

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