Performa, New York's biennial for performance art, is staging a one-night variety show on Broadway at Manhattan's Town Hall on June 10. The inaugural Performa All-Star Variety Show will feature artists including Barbara Kruger, Julio Torres, Marcel Dzama, Laurie Simmons, and Anne Imhoff, hosted by comedian Casey Jost. The 90-minute, 12-act event draws inspiration from 19th-century vaudeville and Futurist cabarets, offering a public spectacle outside the biennial's usual three-week format.
This event matters because it represents a creative fundraising alternative to traditional galas, allowing Performa to make its performances accessible to a wider audience while honoring the venue's civic history. It also underscores Performa's continued influence in redefining where and how performance art is presented, and helps fund its 21st edition in 2027, demonstrating how a biennial can thrive without major institutional sponsorship.