Cino People at La Mama

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Some photos supplied by James Gossage, Phoebe Wray, John Borske, Lanford Wilson, Joe DeMarco, Keith Carsey, and Wren DiAntonio.

(If large first photos are blank, there are smaller thumbnails at the bottom of the page.)

An important Cino-People-at-La-Mama show: LANFORD WILSON’s “The Rimers of Eldritch.”  Far left, CLARIS NELSON. In profile at bar, ANN HARRIS. (Beth Porter waves her hand.)

ANDY MILLIGAN’s adaptation of Tennessee William’s short story One Arm opened at the Cino July 5, 1962, before becoming the very first La Mama play on July 27. This is the La Mama poster. JOE CINO is credited as director. DEAN SELMIER played the title role.

KEITH CARSEY, probably Off-Off’s first nude, in MICHAEL LOCASCIO’s A Corner of the Morning, La Mama’s first original play, directed by ANDY MILLIGAN. Perhaps the only existing performance photo from La Mama’s first home, the basement on E. 9th St.

ROSS ALEXANDER’s Little Mother,” perhaps the only photo of a play at La Mama’s second home, stage managed by HAAL BORSKE, photo courtesy JOHN BORSKE.

From left, American theatre director Ellen Stewart (1919 – 2011) (left), playwright Lanford Wilson, and actress Claris Nelson sit on a staircase at La MaMa ETC, New York, New York, November 20, 1965. (Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images)

1965: La Mama on 2nd Ave, WARREN PINCUS and HELEN HANFT in TOM EYEN’s My Next Husband Will Be a Beauty, at La Mama’s third home.

Three images from ELLEN STEWART’s presentation of TOM O’HORGAN’s production of PAUL FOSTER’s “Tom Paine,” the most influential play of the second half of the 20th century. MARI-CLARE CHARBA, Sally Kirkland, Kevin O’Connor, Marilyn Roberts, Beth Porter.

At rear of boat, LUCY SILVAY and ROB THIRKIELD. (These photos are of two casts of the Off-Broadway production.)

A rare photo from the La Mama production. VICTIOR LIPARI, ROB THIRKIELD, Marilyn Roberts, Peter Craig, Beth Porter.

TOM O’HORGAN and PAUL FOSTER.

PAUL FOSTER was La Mama’s premiere playwright. Here’s CHARLES STANLEY in Paul’s “Satyricon,” directed by John Vaccaro.

These two stunning photos of “Satyricon” are by Amnon Ben Nomis. We have them courtesy of PAUL FOSTER and Rutgers University.

Setah Allen and MARI-CLAIRE CHARBA, Rochelle Owens’ “Futz,” directed by TOM O’HORGAN.

“Futz.” Men holding body, Jerry Cunliffe, VICTOR LIPARI, ROB THIRKIELD, man observing right MICHAEL WARREN POWELL.

MAGIE DOMINIC stage-managed & JEFF WEISS read WM. M. HOFFMAN’s narration directed by PHOEBE WRAY for Thunderbird American Indian Dancers’ Three Mask Dances, dir. Louis Mofsie, 1966.

WARREN PINCUS, staged by TOM EYEN and upstaged by Bette Midler, Miss Nefertiti Regrets, 1966.

PHOEBE WRAY and Lee Powell, David Novak’s The Wedding of the Panda, 1964, director Arthur Gorton.

MARI-CLAIRE CHARBA (left) and PETER BROWN (right) in TOM EYEN’s “Court.” Tom, not surprisingly, was given a workshop by the producers of “A Chorus Line” to create his Tony-winning “Dreamgirls.” 🙂

MAGIE DOMINIC and STEVE DAVIS, Jean Reavey’s WINDOW, 1966, director TOM O’HORGAN

JACQUE LYNN COLTON in Jean Reavey’s WINDOW, 1966, director TOM O’HORGAN.

1965: ME emceeing the “BbAaNnGg!!” Benefit to save La Mama, bedeviled by expenses and city agencies. P.S.: We did! Photo JAMES D. GOSSAGE. PAUL FOSTER and I, who organized it, wanted to call it “Bang, with Our Gang,” but neither the Village Voice nor ELLEN STEWART would hear of something so suggestive.

BbAaNnGg!! Benefit, 1965. JOYCE AARON in MICHAEL SMITH, JOHNNY DODD, and REMY CHARLIP’s More! More! I Want More!

BbAaNnGg!! Benefit, 1965. HAAL BORSKE, BOB DAHDAH, and Unidentified in DON KVARES’ Chronicles of Herman. Photo JAMES D. GOSSAGE.

BbAaNnGg!! Benefit, 1965. STEVE DAVIS and CONNIE CLARK in DANIEL HABEN CLARK’s Big Bad Lula’s Dance of Desire. Photo JAMES D. GOSSAGE.

BbAaNnGg!! Benefit, 1965. CHARLES STANLEY in H.M. KOUTOUKAS’ Tidy Passions. Photo JAMES D. GOSSAGE.

VICTOR LI PARI, TOM LAWRENCE, MICHAEL GRISWOLD in CLARIS NELSON’s The Girl on the BBC, 1965.

MICHAEL GRISWOLD, WALTER HARRIS, JOYCE AARON, JOHN KRAMER in LANFORD WILSON’s The Sand Castle, 1965.

1966: the first La Mama Troupe: ROB THIRKIELD, VICTOR LIPARI, MARIE-CLARE CHARBA, JACQUE LYNN COLTON, TOM O’HORGAN, Katena Mandas, MICHAEL WARREN POWELL, Marilyn Roberts, and Kevin O’Connor.

2005 La Mama Troupe reunion. MICHAEL WARREN POWELL, TOM O’HORGAN, “Futz” author Rochelle Owens, MARI-CLAIRE CHARBA, Marilyn Roberts, Sally Kirkland, Jenette (or Janette?) Ertelt.

CONNIE CLARK, Paul Jenkins, NEIL FLANAGAN, LUCY SILVAY in DANIEL CLARK’s An Interview, 1964.

Vain actress Lucy gets cornered by teased boyfriend Harvey Keitel in WILLIAM M. HOFFMAN’s Spring Play, 1967.

LUCY SILVAY and Gary Hollis in DANIEL HABEN CLARK’s “Love Me ot I’ll Kill You,” directed by PHOEBE WRAY, stage-managed by MAGIE DOMINIC, 1966.

1969: Spalding Gray and LUCY SILVAY hover over ROB THIRKIELD as PAUL FOSTER’s Tom Paine.

1971: Lucy accepts an award in MICHAEL SMITH’s Tony.

LUCY again with CHARLES STANLEY in JOHN P. DODD’s lightshow, “City of Light,” January 1973–

–in which I also appeared as an Athenian academician, first deploring–

–then lamenting–

–then celebrating–

–then joining the assault of the barbarians on the academy. Photos by JAMES D. GOSSAGE.

The Open Theatre in workshop rehearsing two “frames” of its frame-by-frame recreation of the Zapruder film of the JFK assassination…

–directed by Joseph Chaikin in collaboration with writer JEAN-CLAUDE VAN ITALLIE.

Members of The Open Theatre directed by MICHAEL KAHN destroy a commercial love-nest in JEAN-CLAUDE VAN ITALLIE’s America Hurrah, 1966, later retitled Motel as part of a triple bill also called America Hurrah.

DONALD L. BROOKS (seated center in white shirt), his brother JOHN BROOKS, JOEL THURM, Joseph London, seated: Anthony Bastiano and Frances Mintz in Donald’s “Fly,” 1965, whose last performances Donald generously canceled so that Cino at La Mama could begin.

Photographer JIM GOSSAGE informs me that this image of MARI-CLAIRE CHARBA is not from a La Mama play, but from “Waiting Room” by Robert Beardsley, directed by Alex Fogarty, lighting by Earle Eidman. Photographed August 17, 1965 at Village South (Van Dam) Theater. Performances were on the 16th and 17th of August. Part of Edward Albee/Richard Barr Playwrights Workshop.

1966: MARI-CLAIRE CHARBA, Kevin O’Connor: Leonard Melfi’s “Birdbath.” Photo JAMES D. GOSSAGE.

JENNIE VENTRISS and Bill Metzo directed by NEIL FLANAGAN in my Mirage, 1965 (photo CONRAD WARD).

IRVING METZMAN menaces Joseph Pichette, my Play-by-Play, 1972.

BILL HAISLIP and Madeleine LeRoux in my Tarquin Truthbeauty, 1972 (photo: Wren DiAntonio).

NEIL FLANAGAN and Madeleine LeRoux cavort in HAAL BORSKE’s Honky Tonk Trash, 1972.

Gerry Vezzuso’s photo of Bambi Everson in my “The Richest Girl in the World Finds Happiness.”

Recently-rediscovered lyrics for a song I improvised for “A Christmas Carol,” a show put together at Ellen Stewart’s desperate request when a scheduled Christmas show defaulted.

Michael Feingold’s Village Voice review of the Xmas show.

Program for Paul Foster’s easily-portable puppet-play at both La Mama and the Cino. Hilarious story of Paul’s and “Balls'” conflict with a critic HERE.”

From left, American theatre director Ellen Stewart (1919 – 2011) (left), playwright Lanford Wilson, and actress Claris Nelson sit on a staircase at La MaMa ETC, New York, New York, November 20, 1965. (Photo by Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images)