Scott Kelman

Scott Kelman, an innovative teacher and key architect of Los Angeles' performance art and theater scene, has died. He was 70. Kelman died Feb. 22 in a Portland, Ore., hospital of complications from pneumonia. He had been in failing health for several years.

Scott Kelman, an innovative teacher and key architect of Los Angeles' performance art and theater scene, has died. He was 70. Kelman died Feb. 22 in a Portland, Ore., hospital of complications from pneumonia. He had been in failing health for several years.

Down the block from Fairfax, past sidewalk tables crowded with Sunday brunchers enjoying the warm spring sunshine, past the line of people waiting silently for their weekly "kosher food giveaway," a group of adventurous strangers has gathered in the back room of the Daniel Saxon Gallery on Beverly Boulevard for a free introductory workshop in performance art, given each month by actor-director-producer-teacher Scott Kelman.

"I've gone to the hospital three or four times to die," Scott Kelman says. In fact, at 69, this pioneer of the L.A. performance art scene has survived four heart attacks, is outfitted with five stents and a pacemaker, and carries an inhaler to cope with emphysema. Yet he's still here. And this month, after a decade in Portland, Ore., he's back in L.A. with a new show, "Tao Soup."

"I've gone to the hospital three or four times to die," Scott Kelman says. In fact, at 69, this pioneer of the L.A. performance art scene has survived four heart attacks, is outfitted with five stents and a pacemaker, and carries an inhaler to cope with emphysema. Yet he's still here. And this month, after a decade in Portland, Ore., he's back in L.A. with a new show, "Tao Soup."

It was one thing when the Mighty Ducks bamboozled the Winnipeg Jets into trading all-star winger Teemu Selanne and a prospect for promising youngsters Oleg Tverdovsky and Chad Kilger on Feb. 7, 1996. And it was quite another when the relocated Jets, known now as the Phoenix Coyotes, returned Tverdovsky to the Ducks for Travis Green and the 15th overall pick in the entry draft Saturday at Boston. Call it the trade that keeps on giving. Well, giving to the Ducks anyway.

While Hollywood has suddenly "discovered" Latino culture, a collective of five non-white artists called Taller has been working locally for the last year to change social attitudes in an art world that they find curiously backward and self-serving. "The process of dealing with our lives, our fears, our dreams and our people's exclusion from the so-called mainstream is a lot more important than being what others would like us to be," says Fernando Castro, an outspoken member of the movement-based performance group.

Short stories come to the stage in "Sudden Theatre," a collection of four one-person theater pieces produced by Pipeline and opening this weekend at the Saxon-Lee Gallery. The performers include Peter Coca (whose original narrative describes a first sexual experience), Doors drummer John Densmore (doing Donald Barthelme's "The King of Jazz"), Scott Kelman (performing Italo Calvino's "Night Rider"--"an obsessive flight of madness on a highway in pursuit of a woman I love") and Jane Zingale (doing Mark Strand's "Dog Life"--about "a very unusual past-life experience")

In 1995, after four heart attacks, performance-art guru Scott Kelman left Los Angeles for Oregon and the next phase of his lifelong experimental quest. In "Tao Soup," which plays the Electric Lodge in Venice through next Saturday, Kelman shares what he has been doing for a decade, which is considerable. On its surface, "Tao Soup" is a studio display piece, as much Living Theater pyrotechnics as Eastern metaphysics.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle will honor three artistic directors for outstanding achievement during its April 6 awards. Pipeline Prod.'s Scott Kelman will receive the Margaret Harford Awards for "continuing contribution to theater"; Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum artistic director Gordon Davidson, will receive an award honoring the Taper's 20th anniversary, and Robert Fryer from the Ahmanson Theatre will be guest of honor at the ceremonies.

In 1995, after four heart attacks, performance-art guru Scott Kelman left Los Angeles for Oregon and the next phase of his lifelong experimental quest. In "Tao Soup," which plays the Electric Lodge in Venice through next Saturday, Kelman shares what he has been doing for a decade, which is considerable. On its surface, "Tao Soup" is a studio display piece, as much Living Theater pyrotechnics as Eastern metaphysics.

It was one thing when the Mighty Ducks bamboozled the Winnipeg Jets into trading all-star winger Teemu Selanne and a prospect for promising youngsters Oleg Tverdovsky and Chad Kilger on Feb. 7, 1996. And it was quite another when the relocated Jets, known now as the Phoenix Coyotes, returned Tverdovsky to the Ducks for Travis Green and the 15th overall pick in the entry draft Saturday at Boston. Call it the trade that keeps on giving. Well, giving to the Ducks anyway.

Down the block from Fairfax, past sidewalk tables crowded with Sunday brunchers enjoying the warm spring sunshine, past the line of people waiting silently for their weekly "kosher food giveaway," a group of adventurous strangers has gathered in the back room of the Daniel Saxon Gallery on Beverly Boulevard for a free introductory workshop in performance art, given each month by actor-director-producer-teacher Scott Kelman.

Short stories come to the stage in "Sudden Theatre," a collection of four one-person theater pieces produced by Pipeline and opening this weekend at the Saxon-Lee Gallery. The performers include Peter Coca (whose original narrative describes a first sexual experience), Doors drummer John Densmore (doing Donald Barthelme's "The King of Jazz"), Scott Kelman (performing Italo Calvino's "Night Rider"--"an obsessive flight of madness on a highway in pursuit of a woman I love") and Jane Zingale (doing Mark Strand's "Dog Life"--about "a very unusual past-life experience")

While Hollywood has suddenly "discovered" Latino culture, a collective of five non-white artists called Taller has been working locally for the last year to change social attitudes in an art world that they find curiously backward and self-serving. "The process of dealing with our lives, our fears, our dreams and our people's exclusion from the so-called mainstream is a lot more important than being what others would like us to be," says Fernando Castro, an outspoken member of the movement-based performance group.

Continuous informal theater and performance pieces will be performed from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Daniel Saxon Gallery at 7525 Beverly Blvd. Presented in collaboration with Scott Kelman and the theater group Pipeline Inc., the event is in conjunction with the Los Angeles Art Galleries' first Summerfest, in which 27 local galleries will feature special events those evenings. Information: (213) 933-5282.

"Help Me Out of This Head, With Peter Bergman," at the Wallenboyd, is a monologue by one of the four Firesign Theatre zanies. It demonstrates only that four heads are better than one. In fact, the other Firesigners co-wrote two of Bergman's routines, one of which--a mordant game-show parody called "Eat or Be Eaten"--is the meatiest piece of writing in Bergman's show. (Firesign fans, take note: "Eat" is not lifted from the 1985 album of the same title.