Theatre at Caffe Cino: the Aesthetics and Politics of Revolt, 1958--1968
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 2001 Theatre at Caffe ino:C the Aesthetics and Politics of Revolt, 1958--1968. Wendell Corbin Stone Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Stone, Wendell Corbin, "Theatre at Caffe ino:C the Aesthetics and Politics of Revolt, 1958--1968." (2001). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 318. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/318 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI fiims the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy subm itted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction.. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6R x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THEATRE AT CAFFE CINO: THE AESTHETICS AND POLITICS OF REVOLT, 1958-1968 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Theatre by Wendell C. Stone B.A., Vanderbilt University, 1980 M.A., Georgia State University, 1996 May 2001 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 3016581 Copyright 2001 by Stone, Wendell Corbin All rights reserved. UMI* UMI Microform 3016581 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ©Copyright 2001 Wendell Corbin Stone All rights reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To Mom, Dad, Jessika, Bobbi, and Ernie iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments I have had few experiences as enjoyable, as stimulating, as challenging, or as rewarding as my study at Louisiana State University. I am deeply grateful to the faculty (particularly Dr. Gresdna Doty and Dr. Bill Harbin) for allowing me this opportunity. As I complete this phase of my research into Caffe Cino, I recognize how much family, friends, and faculty have contributed to my work, as did many of the artists and patrons of the Cino. Listing each person is impossible; I am certain to overlook someone, so that it is tempting to issue a general “Thank you” to an anonymous group of people. Yet, to do so slights the debt I owe those who contributed directly or indirectly to my work. Therefore, while risking the ire of anyone whom I overlook, I wish to note the contributions of the following people. To my family, Judy Harmon, Milton Nichols, and Curtis Stone, and to their families, I offer my appreciation, along with my love. To that group (Don Whittaker, Stephen Berwind, Stanley Coleman, Hamilton Armstrong, and Mark Zelinsky) who have kept me sane, or at least manageably mad, during this process, I also extend both my appreciation and my love. To Carolyn Lea, I offer my gratitude for her friendship, encouragement, and willingness to share her remarkable command of critical and gender theory. To Sharon Whitaker, I owe more than I can ever express, and I am deeply grateful for her generosity and kindness. To the current and former faculty of LSU who have given me so much (Lesley Ferris, Les Wade, Jennifer Jones, Bill Demastes, Femi Euba, and Leigh Clemons), I offer my respect and gratitude, as I do to Gayle Austin of Georgia State University who opened new avenues of thought for me. I am particularly iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. indebted to Dr. Wade, Dr. Demastes, and Dr. Jones for their time, encouragement, and advice. To those who created the wonderful, chaotic, exciting, mad world of Caffe Cino, I extend deep admiration and appreciation; they deserve much more recognition than many of them have ever received. In particular, I wish to thank Lanford Wilson, Matt Baylor, Robert Dahdah, Robert Heide, Magie Dominic, and Claris Nelson for their generosity and assistance. Above all, I wish to thank Bill Harbin for his kindness, patience, and insight. My choice of Caffe Cino as the topic of research came from a course he taught during my first semester at LSU. He has set an outstanding example for me and others to follow by demanding rigorous scholarship within an environment that is both supportive and nurturing. I hope that I can give my students and my profession even a small fraction of what Dr. Harbin has given. v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................ iv Abstract ......................................................................................................... vii Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I: Background and Context ............................................................... 19 Chapter II: The Formative Years: 1958 to 1963 ........................................... 44 Chapter ID: Early Success: 1963-1965 ....................................................... 101 Chapter IV: The Peak Years: 1965-1966 ..................................................... 160 Chapter V: The Last Years: 1967-68 ........................................................... 199 Chapter VI: Effects and Aftermath ............................................................. 259 Works Cited ................................................................................................. 292 Addendum: Details of Cino Productions ..................................................... 316 Vita.............................................................................................................. 367 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract Often considered the first off-off-Broadway theatre, Caffe Cino opened in December 1958 on a quiet street in New York’s Greenwich Village. As proprietor Joseph Cino later explained, his goal was to provide a venue in which friends could enjoy coffee, conversation, and artistic events (including lectures, art displays, poetry readings, and play readings). Because of their popularity, the play readings quickly developed into fully-staged performances and supplanted all other artistic endeavors. By the early 1960s, the Caffe offered a demanding production schedule, with performances at 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. every day and additional performances at 1:00 a.m. on the weekend; a show typically ran for one or two weeks. In the summer of 1960, the Caffe produced James Howard’s Flyspray, probably the first original work performed there. Shortly afterwards, the performance of original works virtually replaced that of existing plays, and the Caffe became an important venue for nurturing new talent. Young playwrights whose early works appeared in the Caffe include Lanford Wilson, Sam Shepard, David Starkweather, Doric Wilson. Robert Heide, H. M. Koutoukas, Tom Eyen, Robert Patrick, William Hoffman, and Claris Nelson; directors who honed their skills in the Caffe include Marshall Mason, Ron Link, Andy Milligan, and Robert Dahdah; actors who gained early experience (and sometimes their first roles) in the space include Hope Stansbury, Shirley Stoler, Matt Baylor, and Bernadette Peters. By the time it closed in 1968, one year after the suicide of Joseph Cino, the Caffe had introduced