Theatrical avant-garde repertory company. It was formed in New York City in 1947 by Julian Beck (1925–85) and Judith Malina (b. 1926) to produce experimental plays, often on radical themes. Its first big success was Jack Gelber's The Connection (1959), a drama of drug addiction.
After problems with U.S. tax authorities, the company was relocated to Europe (1964–68). It returned to New York City to present the confrontational Paradise Now (1968), a production intended to spark revolution. In the 1970s the group presented a cycle of plays in public spaces and nontraditional venues (Pittsburgh steel mills, Brazilian prisons, the streets of Palermo, Italy) under the collective title The Legacy of Cain. Thereafter the company performed again in theatres, continuing to examine new dramatic techniques. After 1999 The Living Theatre divided its time between headquarters in Italy and New York City.
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