"It's just another vision from the gleefully twisted world of Ken Roht,
a choreographer-director-writer-performer and all-around theatrical auteur who matter-of-factly calls
his work 'avant-garde song and dance--you know, whimsical, surrealist music theater,'
as if we all know what he's talking about."
LA Times, Feature Article
To call the prolific director/writer/choreographer/performer Ken Roht
a theatrical savant implies he knows not what he does—
that he's an idiot savant to boot. He might be the first to agree.
LA Stage Magazine, Feature Article
Roht's vision is part dream - part nightmare - a sliver of fantasy and some social commentary
wrapped with a huge blanket of imagination and creativity. By the end of the 55 minutes,
you feel that you fell through Alice's rabbit hole,
and the images you saw are you, looking back at yourself.
LA Weekly
A community-wide music video collaboration
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Ken Roht, bio...
A recent transplant from Los
Angeles, Ken arrived in the Berkshires in January 2018
and created Daniel’s Art Party, as part of Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Serving as Artistic Director,
a June 2018 festival was presented, featuring many Berkshire organizations and individuals including Moving Arts Exchange,
Cantilena Chamber Choir, Berkshire Fire Fighters, Great Barrington Girl Scouts, Broadway performer Lauren Elder,
local fiber artist Huck Elling and Shakespeare and Company regulars Martin Jason Asprey and James Warwick.
and created Daniel’s Art Party, as part of Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Serving as Artistic Director,
a June 2018 festival was presented, featuring many Berkshire organizations and individuals including Moving Arts Exchange,
Cantilena Chamber Choir, Berkshire Fire Fighters, Great Barrington Girl Scouts, Broadway performer Lauren Elder,
local fiber artist Huck Elling and Shakespeare and Company regulars Martin Jason Asprey and James Warwick.
Since June, Ken has created more
community engagement projects and workshops with Gould Farm,
Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Berkshire Montessori School,
Red Room Radio Redux with WBCR, USA Dance and CTSB-TV.
Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Berkshire Montessori School,
Red Room Radio Redux with WBCR, USA Dance and CTSB-TV.
Previously, Ken adapted,
directed and choreographed Queenie Pie, Duke Ellington's only opera,
for Chicago Opera Theater and Long Beach Opera, as well as the highly successful production of the Czech opera,
The Good Soldier Schweik. He is the creator and director of the yearly holiday musicals co-sponsored by the 99c Only Stores chain.
Seven original musicals in eight years. Ken also directed and choreographed an evening of Offenbach one-acts for
Bard Summerscape Festival in New York. And his one-act opera Last Resort, in which he played a lead role,
opened the first New Works Festival at Disney’s REDCAT. He has been commissioned by
Los Angeles’ Center Theater Group twice, where three of his new musicals where workshopped.
Among other supporting organizations: Audrey Skirball, Durfee Foundation, Dance Theater Workshop,
California Arts Council and Evidence Room Theater.
for Chicago Opera Theater and Long Beach Opera, as well as the highly successful production of the Czech opera,
The Good Soldier Schweik. He is the creator and director of the yearly holiday musicals co-sponsored by the 99c Only Stores chain.
Seven original musicals in eight years. Ken also directed and choreographed an evening of Offenbach one-acts for
Bard Summerscape Festival in New York. And his one-act opera Last Resort, in which he played a lead role,
opened the first New Works Festival at Disney’s REDCAT. He has been commissioned by
Los Angeles’ Center Theater Group twice, where three of his new musicals where workshopped.
Among other supporting organizations: Audrey Skirball, Durfee Foundation, Dance Theater Workshop,
California Arts Council and Evidence Room Theater.
As a filmmaker, Ken's film Perfect
Cowboy was chosen to screen during the first weekend of Los Angeles OUTFEST
at the Directors Guild of America. The festival celebrated Ken as one of their top five writer/directors to follow, "5 in Focus".
Being an accomplished actor, Ken playing the title role. The film is now being distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures.
Ken’s first film, a vampire musical starring Kevin Richardson of The Backstreet Boys, was a glorious mess.
at the Directors Guild of America. The festival celebrated Ken as one of their top five writer/directors to follow, "5 in Focus".
Being an accomplished actor, Ken playing the title role. The film is now being distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures.
Ken’s first film, a vampire musical starring Kevin Richardson of The Backstreet Boys, was a glorious mess.
Ken choreographs for other
directors, notably at New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic, New York’s
Playwrights Horizons,
La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (for seven consecutive years), Getty Villa, Kirk Douglas Theater,
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Cornerstone, South Coast Rep, Gale Gates et al,
Ohio's Great Lakes Theater Festival and Lookingglass in Chicago.
La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (for seven consecutive years), Getty Villa, Kirk Douglas Theater,
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Cornerstone, South Coast Rep, Gale Gates et al,
Ohio's Great Lakes Theater Festival and Lookingglass in Chicago.
As a performer, Ken sang lead
roles in rock opera projects with Grace Jones and with New York City Opera
singers;
acted in videos by artists Bill Viola and Paul McCarthy and Winsome Brown; recently danced in Florence + The Machine’s
“What Kind of Man” video; and was a company member and principle choreographer for the genius-auteur Reza Abdoh’s Dar-a-Luz,
an international, experimental theater company (the work now archived at Lincoln Center and Cal Arts) for seven years.
Before that, Ken was a member of the very wholesome national song and dance ensemble, The Young Americans.
acted in videos by artists Bill Viola and Paul McCarthy and Winsome Brown; recently danced in Florence + The Machine’s
“What Kind of Man” video; and was a company member and principle choreographer for the genius-auteur Reza Abdoh’s Dar-a-Luz,
an international, experimental theater company (the work now archived at Lincoln Center and Cal Arts) for seven years.
Before that, Ken was a member of the very wholesome national song and dance ensemble, The Young Americans.
"I'd like to thank everyone who has supported Orphean Circus in the past...
all of the incredible and beautiful performers and designers and patrons...
and the audiences who have been so devoted for years.
We've made very exciting theater together.
Please keep checking in to see what we're up to next.
There's always something unique and interesting
coming up. Onward!!"
- Ken
And a big thanks to...
 |
| "Three Special Girls" They were brave enough to appear in the very first, rather strange, Orphean Circus show in 1991: Christine Zirbel, Kat Meyer, Lisa Bode |
