Out There 2026 Centers Radical Clowning and Dark Humor, Featuring Alex Tatarsky, Nile Harris, Bert and Nasi, and the Wooster Group
The Walker’s annual Out There experimental theater series returns in 2026 with works grounded in dark humor, virtuosic physical comedy, and nightmarish vaudeville.
Self-proclaimed “experimental clown artist” Alex Tatarsky makes their Midwest debut, embracing a messy maze of shared struggle, while Nile Harris uses improvised clownery, live electronics, and audience involvement to depict a dying democracy filled with political dysfunction and racial strife. French/UK duo Bert and Nasi channel comedic miming to interpret the nonsensical cycles that govern our world—and the legendary Wooster Group returns to the Twin Cities for the first time in 25 years with a sci-fi satire of power and delusion, shining a light on how technology rewrites what it means to be human today.
“These artists offer a blend of new and very old tools of theatrical subversion, incorporating everything from performative stand-up to absurdist humor, from rage disguised as satire to ensemble-based anarchy, and from joyous nihilism to seething farce,” said Philip Bither, McGuire Director and Senior Curator, Performing Arts. “This is not the political theater of the old, but rather the use of new insurgent, comedic forms as powerful rejoinders to dystopian and authoritarian times. At a time when the world feels unhinged, this expansive range of performances emerges as an antidote to despair.”
A complete detailing of upcoming events follows below.
Out There 2026
January 8–February 28
McGuire Theater
Save 15% (30% for Walker members) by buying tickets to all four performances in the series. Purchase an Out There 2026 package.
Alex Tatarsky: Sad Boys in Harpy Land
Thursday–Saturday, January 8–10, 7:30 pm
McGuire Theater
Tickets start at $25
Midwest debut
“A thrilling and frenetic mental breakdown of a show.” —New York Times
Sad Boys in Harpy Land is a clown show about wanting to die. Confronting anguish through humor, self-proclaimed “experimental clown artist” Alex Tatarsky ushers audiences through the absurdist hellscape of their mind. Through a series of existential vignettes, they fuse the narrative bones of their own story onto those of equally tormented protagonists, drawing on sources including Goethe, Dante, and Seinfeld. A splintering coming-of-age story, Sad Boys challenges the idea of individual malady, embracing instead the messy maze of shared struggle.
Program support provided by King’s Fountain/Barbara Watson Pillsbury and the David and Leni Moore Family Foundation.
Nile Harris: this house is not a home
Thursday–Saturday, January 22–24, 7:30 pm
McGuire Theater
Tickets start at $25
“A whole kettleful of biting, boiling, truly gonzo theatricality that’s equal parts deadly serious and gleefully self- (and everyone-) mocking.” —Vulture
Brace yourself. In this house is not a home, Nile Harris tears apart the walls of American identity, literally and figuratively. Erecting an inflatable bounce house as a stand-in for institutions like the nonprofit arts sector and the besieged US Capitol, Harris stages a raucous demolition of white liberalism. Supported by dancer Malcolm-x Betts and performance artist Crackhead Barney, this house is not a home eviscerates the circus of public discourse via improvised clownery and dark humor. Armed with irony, rage, and blaring live music, the show asks the question: what is left when the facade of “home” collapses?
Program support provided by the David and Leni Moore Family Foundation.
Bert and Nasi: L’Addition
Thursday–Saturday, February 5–7, 7:30 pm
McGuire Theater
Tickets start at $25
“It’s very weird, and extremely funny.” —New York Times
★★★★ “Superbly absurd comedy.” —Guardian
L’Addition plays out like a deranged game of telephone, except that the message being passed is a single scene on an increasingly distorted loop: A man at a café orders a drink. A waiter pours the drink. And a waiter pours the drink. And he cannot stop pouring the drink. Each escalation of the otherwise everyday scenario introduces a more outlandish set of circumstances. Through physical comedy and radical miming, French/UK duo Bert and Nasi expose the nonsensical social scripts that govern our world.
Directed by Tim Etchells (Forced Entertainment).
Program support provided by the David and Leni Moore Family Foundation and Sue and Jim Westerman.
The Wooster Group: Symphony of Rats
Wednesday–Friday, February 25–27, 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 28, 3 and 7:30 pm
McGuire Theater
Tickets start at $30
“Mesmerizing … sci-fi satire underscored like a merrily suspenseful summer blockbuster.” —Los Angeles Times
For the first time in 25 years, the legendary Wooster Group returns to the Twin Cities. In this blockbuster production, they reimagine Symphony of Rats, the 1988 play by fellow experimental theater maestro Richard Foreman. At the story’s center is a megalomaniac US president who is losing his mind. From his perch on a toilet throne, he fields what he believes to be alien transmissions, while a series of surreal vignettes unfolds. Grand in scale and meticulous in design, the Wooster Group assembles a sweep of hallucinatory fragments into a sci-fi satire of power and delusion.
Directed by Elizabeth LeCompte and Kate Valk.
Program support provided by AJT Fund, the David and Leni Moore Family Foundation, Elizabeth and Mike Sweeney, and John L. Thomson.
TICKETS
Ordering tickets is easy: visit walkerart.org/tickets or call 612-375-7600. Box office is open Wednesday–Sunday and one hour before performances.
ACCESSIBILITY
For more information about accessibility, visit our Access page.
For questions on accessibility or to request additional accommodations, call 612-375-7564 or email access@walkerart.org.
STUDENTS COME EARLY
Students own the rush line! Get in line an hour before showtime for $15 rush tickets. One ticket per person with student ID. (Some restrictions apply.)
GET TOGETHER
Experience these performances in a group of 10 or more people and save 15% on tickets. Purchase group tickets online, over the phone, or in person. The discount is automatically applied at checkout on orders of 10 or more tickets to the same performance.
MEMBERS DO MORE
Become a member and enjoy a 20% discount on performance tickets, receive unlimited free gallery admission, and more. Call 612-375-7655 or visit walkerart.org/membership.
ABOUT THE WALKER ART CENTER
The Walker Art Center is a renowned multidisciplinary arts institution that presents, collects, and supports the creation of groundbreaking work across the visual and performing arts, moving image, and design. Guided by the belief that art has the power to bring joy and solace and the ability to unite people through dialogue and shared experiences, the Walker engages communities through a dynamic array of exhibitions, performances, events, and initiatives. Its multiacre campus includes 65,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space, the state-of-the-art McGuire Theater and Walker Cinema, and ample green space that connects with the adjoining Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Garden, a partnership with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, is one of the first urban sculpture parks of its kind in the United States and home to the beloved Twin Cities landmark Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Recognized for its ambitious program and growing collection of more than 16,000 works, the Walker embraces emerging art forms and amplifies the work of artists from the Twin Cities and from across the country and the globe. Its broad spectrum of offerings makes it a lively and welcoming hub for artistic expression, creative innovation, and community connection.