Performance Space 122, more widely known as PS 122, was founded in 1979 in the abandoned
Public School 122 building at First Avenue and East 9th Street in the East Village neighborhood of
Manhattan. The former elementary school was in great disrepair when a group of artists began to
use the old classrooms for studios. Choreographer Charles Moulton used the second floor cafeteria
as a rehearsal space and invited fellow performers to collaborate on the administration and use of
the space. Moulton, along with artists Charles Dennis, John Bernd, Peter Rose, and Tim Miller,
presented PS 122’s first performance in 1980, along with a calendar of classes, workshops, and
other performances. This first evening established the multidisciplinary showcase named
Avant-Garde-Arama, which has continued throughout PS 122’s history.
In 1983, Mark Russell was hired as artistic director to curate and focus the programming. He
oversaw the evolution of PS 122 from a rental house into a year-long presenting facility. Russell’s
successful vision developed a set of programs designed to sustain the creative process for artists
throughout their career, and to connect performance art with the larger cultural community of New
York and the world, confirming the value of live performance. Russell held his position through
2005.
PS 122 was one of several spaces that served as a home base for Watchface during its existence.
Their first engagement there, The End of the World, received a series of bookings at midnight as part
of the Veselka Festival in 1986. Later they presented many works in both the upstairs and
downstairs spaces.
PS 122, the not-for-profit arts organization, is still one of the longest standing venues dedicated to
contemporary performance in New York City. Its two theaters –the former school cafeteria on the
second floor and the former school gym on the first – present dance, performance art, music, film,
and video. For over three decades, PS 122 has advanced the work not only of popular artists (John
Leguizamo, Jonathan Ames, Eric Bogosian, Blue Man Group), but also of artists who fostered
political and ethical debate (John Fleck, Holly Hughes, Karen Finley, co-founder Tim Miller), and
those who have revolutionized aesthetic form (Meredith Monk, Spalding Gray, Richard Maxwell,
Tina Satter).
Watchface performances at PS 122:
1984: The Future Repeats Itself
The End of the World
Extreme Women
First green
Pioneers of Aviation
Septaphonic
The Serial Killer Series
Shades of Grey
Sodomite Warriors
Stereotype In Quad