About the Living Theatre
- New York: The Living Theatre, 1985
New York: The Living Theatre, 1985. Very Good +. [New York]: The Living Theatre, 1985. First Edition. Octavo (22cm); publisher’s illustrated wraps; 7pp. Wraps rather toned; interior pages slightly less so. A Very Good or better piece of Living Theatre ephemera.
Interior pages contain a brief essay by Laura Zelaznick, in response to a 1984 write-up that appeared in Performing Arts Journal. In the enflaming piece, “The Return of the Living Theatre: Paradise Lost” critic Gerald Rabkin laments that Living Theatre had diminished over several decades, losing its characteristic edginess and engagement with political and social issues. This decline, he argues, coincided with the group’s period of “European exile.” Of their productions upon returning to the United States, Rabkin writes, “(there is no other word) [than] disaster.”
Zelaznick’s retort is part-institutional history, part sassy clap-back, and part-manifesto. She asserts that theatre, “that most social of the arts,” always comments on the society in which it is performed and remains an effective revolutionary technique, regardless of its execution. Her tone is snarky — she writes, rhetorically, “Who am I to question the universe according to Performing Arts Journal?” and once accuses Rabkin of confusing an avant-garde play for the mainstream hit “Hair.” Elsewhere, her sarcasm gives way to utter sincerity.
Near the end of the piece, she offers a sort of mission statement: “Now you want art and life. … Well, I offer you the Living Theatre. … I offer you a lifetime commitment to a living Myth of peace and non-violent cooperation. A myth which expresses the innermost longings of humankind. I offer you an end to fear. I offer you jails, military bases, mental hospitals, town squares and even some theatres. I offer you Pittsburgh. I offer you the barrios of Brazil. I offer you a lifetime of peace rallies and benefits. How many languages did you say you speak? Well then, I offer you a tour of Europe; non-stop for 15 years. Any takers? Too risky?”
Not separately cataloged in OCLC.
Rabkin's quotes taken from the “The Return of the Living Theatre: Paradise Lost,” Performing Arts Journal, 1984. .
Interior pages contain a brief essay by Laura Zelaznick, in response to a 1984 write-up that appeared in Performing Arts Journal. In the enflaming piece, “The Return of the Living Theatre: Paradise Lost” critic Gerald Rabkin laments that Living Theatre had diminished over several decades, losing its characteristic edginess and engagement with political and social issues. This decline, he argues, coincided with the group’s period of “European exile.” Of their productions upon returning to the United States, Rabkin writes, “(there is no other word) [than] disaster.”
Zelaznick’s retort is part-institutional history, part sassy clap-back, and part-manifesto. She asserts that theatre, “that most social of the arts,” always comments on the society in which it is performed and remains an effective revolutionary technique, regardless of its execution. Her tone is snarky — she writes, rhetorically, “Who am I to question the universe according to Performing Arts Journal?” and once accuses Rabkin of confusing an avant-garde play for the mainstream hit “Hair.” Elsewhere, her sarcasm gives way to utter sincerity.
Near the end of the piece, she offers a sort of mission statement: “Now you want art and life. … Well, I offer you the Living Theatre. … I offer you a lifetime commitment to a living Myth of peace and non-violent cooperation. A myth which expresses the innermost longings of humankind. I offer you an end to fear. I offer you jails, military bases, mental hospitals, town squares and even some theatres. I offer you Pittsburgh. I offer you the barrios of Brazil. I offer you a lifetime of peace rallies and benefits. How many languages did you say you speak? Well then, I offer you a tour of Europe; non-stop for 15 years. Any takers? Too risky?”
Not separately cataloged in OCLC.
Rabkin's quotes taken from the “The Return of the Living Theatre: Paradise Lost,” Performing Arts Journal, 1984. .
Details
Title
About the Living Theatre
Author
Laura Zelaznick
Condition
Very Good
Publisher
The Living Theatre: New York
Date
1985