Schlitzie: Alive and Inside the Decaying Sideshow

Rogue Artists Ensemble’s reading of Schlitzie: Alive and Inside the Decaying Sideshow is an immersive interactive theater experience staged in the incredible Valley Relics Museum. The story sheds a light on the intersection of the sideshow and disability inclusivity through the story of Schlitzie, an iconic and often misunderstood performer. Schlitzie is one of the most famous sideshow performers, known for his many appearances in the now-infamous film Freaks. Schlitzie’s story is inextricably tied to Los Angeles, where he was eventually admitted to an institution when his sideshow was shut down and came to perform his act in McArthur Park where he was lovingly known as ‘ratoncito’.