The Living Theatre is an American

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

company founded in 1947 and based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It is the oldest

experimental theatre Experimental theatre (also known as avant-garde theatre), inspired largely by Richard Wagner, Wagner's concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, began in Western theatre in the late 19th century with Alfred Jarry and his Ubu Roi, Ubu plays as a rejection of bot ...

group in the United States. For most of its history it was led by its founders, actress

Judith Malina Judith Malina (June 4, 1926 – April 10, 2015) was a German-born American actress, director and writer. With her husband, Julian Beck, Malina co-founded The Living Theatre, a radical political theatre troupe that rose to prominence in New York C ...

and painter/poet

Julian Beck Julian Beck (May 31, 1925 – September 14, 1985) was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. He is best known for co-founding and directing The Living Theatre, as well as his role as Reverend Henry Kane, the malevolent preacher i ...

. After Beck's death in 1985, company member

Hanon Reznikov Hanon Reznikov (born Howard Reznick; September 23, 1950 – May 3, 2008) was an American actor and writer.
May ...

became co-director with Malina; the two were married in 1988. After Malina's death in 2015, her responsibilities were taken over by her son Garrick Maxwell Beck. The Living Theatre and its founders were the subject of the 1983 documentary '' Signals Through the Flames''.

History

In the 1950s, the group was among the first in the U.S. to produce the work of influential European playwrights such as

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

(''

In The Jungle of Cities ''In the Jungle of Cities'' (''Im Dickicht der Städte'') is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. Written between 1921 and 1924, it received its first theatrical production under the title ''Im Dickicht'' ("In the jungle") a ...

'' in New York, 1960) and

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

, as well as modernist poets such as

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biogr ...

and Gertrude Stein. One of their first major productions was

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

's '' Desire Caught By the Tail''; other early productions were ''Many Loves'' by William Carlos Williams and Luigi Pirandello's ''Tonight We Improvise''.Botting, Gary, "The Living Theatre", in ''The Theatre of Protest in America'' (Edmonton: Harden House, 1972), 18. Based in a variety of small New York locations which were frequently closed due to financial problems or conflicts with city authorities, they helped to originate off-off-Broadway and

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

as significant forces in U.S. theater. Their work during this period shared some aspects of style and content with

Beat generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

writers. Also during the 1950s, the American composer

Alan Hovhaness Alan Hovhaness (; March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an American-Armenian composer. He was one of the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog comprising 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) and ...

worked closely with the Living Theatre, composing music for its productions. In 1959, their production of '' The Connection'' attracted national attention for its harsh portrayal of drug addiction and its equally harsh language. In the early 1960s the Living Theatre was host to

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

minimalist performances by artists including Simone Forti and Robert Morris. '' The Brig'' (1963), an anti-authoritarian look at conditions in a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

prison, was their last major production in New York before a tax dispute led to the closure of the theatre space and the brief imprisonment of Beck and Malina. Judith defended Julian at the

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

hearing dressed like Portia from ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

''. For the rest of the 1960s, the group toured chiefly in Europe. They produced more politically and formally radical work carrying an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

and

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

message, with the company members creating plays collectively and often living together. Major works from this period included the adaptations ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...

'', ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

'', and ''Paradise Now'', which became their best-known play. ''Paradise Now'', a semi- improvisational piece involving audience participation, was notorious for a scene in which actors recited a list of social taboos that included nudity, while disrobing; this led to multiple arrests for

indecent exposure Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...

. The group returned to the U.S. in 1968 to tour ''Paradise Now'', ''Antigone'', ''Mysteries and Smaller Pieces'', and ''Frankenstein''. "That madman who inspires us all,

Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...

, does have some advice," Beck said in an informal address at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

after his return, "and I think he is the philosopher, for those of us who work in theatre, whom we can reach toward most quickly, of whom we can say, yes, here is one man since Rousseau who does uphold the idea of the non-civilized man." He added: "Our work had always striven to stress the sacredness of life." In 1971 they toured in Brazil, where they were imprisoned for several months, then deported. The Living Theatre has toured extensively throughout the world, often in non-traditional venues such as streets and prisons. It has greatly influenced other American experimental theatre companies, notably

The Open Theater The Open Theater was an experimental theatre group active from 1963 to 1973. Foundation The Open Theater was founded in New York City by a group of former students of acting teacher Nola Chilton, together with director Joseph Chaikin (formerly of ...

(founded by former Living Theatre member Joseph Chaikin) and

Bread and Puppet Theater The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, based in Glover, Vermont . The theater was co-founded by Elka and Peter Schumann. Peter is the artistic directo ...

. The Living Theatre's productions have won four

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

s: ''The Connection'' (1959), ''The Brig'' (1963 and 2007), and ''Frankenstein'' (1968). Living Theatre 04

In 2006, The Living Theatre signed a 10-year lease on the basement of a new residential building under construction at 21 Clinton Street, between Houston and Stanton Streets on Manhattan's

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

. The Clinton Street theater is the company's first permanent home since the closing of The Living Theatre on Third Street at Avenue C in 1993. The company moved into the completed space in early 2007 and opened in April 2007 with a revival of ''The Brig'' by Kenneth H. Brown, first presented at The Living Theatre at 14th Street and Sixth Avenue in 1963. The re-staging, directed by

, won Obie Awards for Direction and Ensemble Performance. In October 2006, the company opened a revival of ''Mysteries and Smaller Pieces'', the 1964 collective creation that defined the interactive and Artaudian style for which the company became famous. In late 2007 / early 2008 the company founder Judith Malina performed in ''Maudie and Jane'', a stage adaptation, directed by Reznikov, of the

Doris Lessing Doris May Lessing (; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remain ...

novel, ''The Diary of Jane Somers''. In April 2008, Hanon Reznikov suffered a stroke. He died on May 3, 2008. In 2010, the company presented ''Red Noir'', adapted and directed by Judith Malina. In 2011, the company presented ''Korach'', by Malina, and a revival of ''Seven Meditations on Political Sado-Masochism'', directed by Malina and Tom Walker. Also in 2011, the company created ''The Plot Is The Revolution'', starring Malina and Silvia Calderoni, a co-production with the Italian group Motus. In 2012, the company presented ''The History of the World'', written and directed by Malina. In 2013, the company presented ''Here We Are'', written and directed by Malina. The company also vacated its Clinton Street space. In 2014, Judith Malina's play ''No Place to Hide'' premiered at the Clemente Soto Velez Center on the Lower East Side. The production later took to the streets of New York for the Underground Zero Festival, and was performed at

Burning Man Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred ...

. Malina was writing ''Venus and Mars'' when she died in April 2015.

Goals and influences

From its conception, The Living Theatre was dedicated to transforming the organization of power within society from a competitive, hierarchical structure to cooperative and communal expression. The troupe attempts to do so by counteracting complacency in the audience through direct spectacle. They oppose the commercial orientation of Broadway productions and have contributed to the off-Broadway theater movement in New York City, staging poetic dramas. The primary text for The Living Theatre is ''

The Theatre and its Double ''The Theatre and Its Double'' (''Le Théâtre et son Double'') is a collection of essays by French poet and playwright Antonin Artaud. It contains his most famous works on the theatre, including his manifestos for a Theatre of Cruelty. Compos ...

'', an anthology of essays written by

Antonin Artaud Antoine Marie Joseph Paul Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud (; 4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French writer, poet, dramatist, visual artist, essayist, actor and theatre director. He is widely recognized as a major figure of the E ...

, the French playwright. It was published in France in 1937 and by the

Grove Press Grove Press is an United States of America, American Imprint (trade name), publishing imprint that was founded in 1947. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, and Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it in ...

in the U.S. in 1958. This work deeply influenced Julian Beck, a bisexual painter of

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

works. The troupe reflects Artaud's influence by staging multimedia plays designed to exhibit his metaphysical

Theatre of Cruelty The Theatre of Cruelty (french: Théâtre de la Cruauté, also french: Théâtre cruel) is a form of theatre generally associated with Antonin Artaud. Artaud, who was briefly a member of the surrealist movement, outlined his theories in ''The Theat ...

. In these performances, the actors attempt to dissolve the "

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

" between them and the spectators.

Plays and publications

* ''The Connection'' * ''The Brig'' * ''Mysteries'' * ''Antigone'' (adaptation) * ''Frankenstein'' * ''Paradise Now'' * ''The Living Book of the Living Theatre'' (1971) * ''The Legacy of Cain'' (1970-1978) * ''Turning the Earth'' * ''Seven Meditations on Political Sado-Masochism'' * ''Six Public Acts'' * ''The Money Tower'' * ''Prometheus at the Winter Palace (1978) * ''The Antigone of Sophocles'' (1979) * ''Masse Mensch'' (1980) * ''The Yellow Methuselah'' (1982) * ''The Archaeology of Sleep'' (1983)

References

Bibliography

* Neff, Renfrew (1970). ''The Living Theatre: U.S.A.'' * Rostagno, Aldo, with Judith Malina and Julian Beck (1970). ''We, the Living Theatre''. New York: Ballantine Books. * The Living Theatre (1971). ''Paradise Now''. New York: Random House. * Malina, Judith (1972). ''The Enormous Despair''. New York: Random House. * Pierre Biner (1972) ''The Living Theatre'' New York: Avon Books. * Malina, Judith (1984). ''The Diaries of Judith Malina, 1947-1957''. New York: Grove Press, Inc. * Mystic Fire Video (1989), '' Signals Through the Flames''. Documentary. Originally released by The Living Theatre in 1983 as a motion picture, produced and directed by Sheldon Rochlin and Maxine Harris.

External links