Join us for a screening of Quotations from a Ruined City (1993) created and directed by Reza Abdoh. This program is curated as a part of the Circa: Queer Histories Festival Exhibition The Sky is Always Falling: HIV/AIDS Activists Unleashing Power in Los Angeles Then and Now! on view from September 28-October 31, 2025.
Quotations From a Ruined City was first performed as a workshop production for the Los Angeles Festival in a former shoe store on Hollywood Blvd. The production subsequently moved to a vacant pajama factory in New York’s meatpacking district and went on to be presented by multiple European presenters. It was Abdoh’s final work.
Reza Abdoh (1963-1995) was an Iranian-born American theatre director and playwright known for his groundbreaking, experimental productions. Abdoh, who lived and worked in Los Angeles for much of his career, died of AIDS in 1995 at the age of 32, having created an impressive body of stage spectacles known for their sensory overload, ferocious energy and hallucinatory dreamscapes. Abdoh was an enigmatic and prolific creative force and with his company, Dar A Luz, formed in 1991, he created productions that have made a major impact on experimental theatre worldwide and whose influences are still being felt and talked about to this day.
Text by Reza Abdoh and Salar Abdoh, Directed by Reza Abdoh.
Sound Design, Raul Enriquez and Galen Wade; Video Design, Tal Yarden; Lighting Design, Jennifer Boggs; Costume Design, Eddie Bledsoe.
Company: Sabrina Artel, Peter Jacobs, Anita Durst, Ken Roht, Mel Herst, John Jankee, Tom Pearl, Tom Fitzpatrick, Tony Torn, Brenden Doyle.
Participant Bios:
Reza Abdoh (1963-1995) was an Iranian-born American theatre director and playwright known for his groundbreaking, experimental productions. Abdoh, who lived and worked in Los Angeles for much of his career, died of AIDS in 1995 at the age of 32, having created an impressive body of stage spectacles known for their sensory overload, ferocious energy and hallucinatory dreamscapes. Abdoh was an enigmatic and prolific creative force and with his company, Dar A Luz, formed in 1991, he created productions that have made a major impact on experimental theatre worldwide and whose influences are still being felt and talked about to this day.
This program is organized by Anuradha Vikram and is co-presented with the Los Angeles LGBT Center as part of Circa: Queer Histories Festival 2025, presented by One Institute.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a safe and welcoming place where the LGBTQ+ community finds help, hope, and support when it is needed the most.