John Waters in Chicago

John Waters is an American filmmaker, writer, visual artist and spoken-word performer, born in Baltimore in 1946. He became known through provocative films made with recurring collaborators including Divine, among them Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble and Polyester. Hairspray brought his work to a broader audience and was later adapted into a stage musical. In 2006, his one-man monologue This Filthy World was recorded before an audience at the Harry DeJur Playhouse in New York. He has since taken versions of that solo format to theatres and arts centres, speaking about filmmaking, censorship, crime, taste and his own career. His other long-running stage program is the seasonal monologue A John Waters Christmas.