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The Pope of Trash – John Waters

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John_Waters

 

The “Pope of Trash” in Providence

Filmmaker, director and writer John Waters visits Providence for a special performance of “This Filthy World” in honor of AS220’s 30th Anniversary

AS220’s 30th Anniversary Saturnalia Cabaret

Featuring special guest artist John Waters – film director, screenwriter, actor, stand-up comedian, journalist, visual artist, and art collector  –   perhaps best known for Hairspray (1988), Pink Flamingos (1972), Polyester (1981) and A Dirty Shame (2004)  –   the Cabaret will highlight AS220’s 30 years of creativity and vibrancy in Providence. Cabaret performances throughout the night from The Empire Revue!

Saturday, October 24th, 6 – 10pm
Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel,
79 Washington Street, Providence RI

About John Waters

John Waters is better known and the provocateur behind such such trash cinema classics as Mondo Trasho, Pink Flamingos, Cry-Baby, Serial Mom and the film that he’s best known for, 1988’s Hairspray which went on to be adapted into a hugely succesful Broadway musical and a film based on the musical.
Filmmaker, director and writer John Waters was born on April 22, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland. Sometimes called the “King of Bad Taste” or the “Pope of Trash,” Waters has built a reputation for shocking his audiences. Many of his films satirize suburban America as well as many social conventions and attitudes. He started out making short experimental films in the 1960s, often using friends as actors and holding small showings in offbeat locales.
Water’s 1988 film Hairspray centered on the struggle of Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teen, to join the cast of television dance show. Set in the early 1960s in Water’s hometown of Baltimore, the film’s heroine, played by Ricki Lake, also speaks out about a pressing issue of that era – integration. This story of an underdog overcoming obstacles struck a chord with many audience members and has become Waters’ most popular and best-known work. The film was later turned into a successful Broadway musical and a film version of the musical was released in 2007.
Besides his film and television work, Waters has authored several books, including Shock Value: A Tasteful Book about Bad Taste (1981) and Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters (1983).  Alongside his film career Waters has been establishing a profile in the contemporary art world as an artist, collector and curator.

 

“Contemporary art hates you, if you ignore it, if you fail to investigate it – it will hate you.” – John Waters

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