Living Theatre

A history of America's most influential avant-garde theatre ensemble, and a biography of its two founders and lead performers, Julian Beck and Judith Malina. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s The Living Theatre was the most radical, uncompromising and experimental group in American theatrical history.

"The narrative of the founding and embattled maintenance of The Living Theatre is a ripping American epic...an important book that will serve as a reference for years to come" (American Theatre Magazine) Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the Living Theatre was the most radical group in American theatrical history. Their flamboyant and counter-cultural experiments attracted international attention, their performances were leftist and sexually explicit. They suffered repeated censorship, arrests and imprisonments. In every way they were wildly notorious and theatrical. Tytell's history of the company is a detailed biography of its two charismatic founders and lead performers, Julian Beck and Judith Malina, and a searching look at the American avant-garde at mid-century. His story of the Living Theatre is also filled with a glittering and exotic cast of characters including Tennessee Williams, Frank O'Hara, Anais Nin, James Agee, Allen Ginsberg and the Beats, Jackson Pollock and the Abstract Expressionists, Peggy Guggenheim, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, Francis Ford Coppola and Robert and Ira Cohen." A warm and passionate history of one of the great radical theatres of our time and a wonderful chronicle of the American cultural and social scene of the last fifty years. I recommend it to anyone who loves theatre." (Andre Gregory) "From the earliest years of its formation to the powerful and lasting impact on the American culture, John Tytell accurately recalls the people and the events that gave life and liberty to the Living Theatre. I'm indebted to Tytell for this honest and moving portrait of Julian Beck and Judith Malina." (Martin Sheen)