With the likes of Timothy Leary, The Doors, Igor Stravinsky and Joseph Chaikin, Rudi Stern created works of light for concerts, dance, theatre and opera. His first theatrical venture in thirty years, Theatre of Light, will end its run at New York City's Flea Theatre on Jan. 7. Performances began Dec. 9.

Theater of Light utilizes thousands of hand-painted 2'' by 2'' glass slides projected on to multiple, rotating circular screens to the music of Peter Gabriel, Enya, Tangerine Dream, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Ali Farka Toure, Donovan and others. Several slides are projected at any given time, some bounced off fragments of mirrors, others reflected off spinning foil cylinders. A work of detail (one seven-minute piece requires some 1,500 projection cues), Theater of Light uses no computer-generated imaging in the one-hour piece, something of which Stern is proud.

In a released statement, Stern described the piece as "painting with light. Light here is not a backdrop. It is the performance."

Stern created the legendary "Psychedelic Celebrations" with Leary at the East Village's old Fillmore East. At these event, thousands of tripping youths soaked in an avalanche of spectacular lighting cues. For the Doors and the Rascals, Stern created concert light shows, and, for Stravinsky, a lighting design for The Rake's Progress. Stern has said he hopes to transfer Theatre of Light to another house for a commercial run.

Tickets are $25 and can be reserved by calling Ticketweb (800) 965-4827. The Flea Theatre is located at 41 White St. --By Robert Simonson
and Christine Ehren