Production History

Mainstage: 1960-1979

1960

THE PRETENDERS
by Lionel Abel
produced by Frank Perry
with James Earl Jones & Roscoe Lee Browne

GAY DIVORCE
book by Dwight Taylor
lyrics by Cole Porter
music by Cole Porter
with Beatrice Arthur, Richard Barr & Clinton Wilder Productions

THE SUDDEN END OF ANNE CINQUEFOIL
by Richard Hepburn

1961

Tiger Rag
Book and Lyrics by Seyril Schochen
Music by Kenneth Gaburo
Directed by Ella Gerber
Lighting Design by Jules Fisher
Opened February 17th, 1961

THE AMERICAN DREAM

presented in a double bill with:

THE DEATH OF BESSIE SMITH
by Edward Albee
produced by Richard Barr, Clinton Wilder
designed by William Ritman
with Rae Allen, John C. Becher, Roberts Blossom, Sudie Bond, Helen Page Camp, Nancy Cushman, Jane Hoffman, John McCurry, Ben Piazza, Lee Richardson, Harold Scott

HAPPY DAYS
World Premiere
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Alan Schneider
with Ruth White and John C. Becher
production designed by William Ritman
opened September 17

AND HE MADE HER
by Doric Wilson
Opened November 13

1962

ALBARWILD: A collaboration between producers Richard Barr, Clinton Wilder and playwright Edward Albee, designed to give production opportunities to emerging playwrights

A STAGE AFFAIR
by Paul Crabtree

ENDGAME
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Alan Schneider
with Vincent Gardenia, Ben Piazza, John C. Becher, & Sudie Bond
opened February 11th

LITTLE MARY SUNSHINE
Book, music, lyrics, and directed by Rick Besoyan
with Margaret Hall, Richard Charles Hoh, Janice Mars, Leonard Frye, and Kenneth MacMillan

THIS SIDE OF THE DOOR
by Terrence McNally
with Estelle Parsons and William Traylor

EX-MISS COPPER QUEEN ON A SET OF PILLS
by Megan Terry

THEATRE OF THE ABSURD
Works by Albee, Arrabal, Beckett, Genet, Ionesco, Koch and Richardson

BERTHA
by Kenneth Koch

GALLOWS HUMOR
by Jack Richardson

THE SANDBOX
by Edward Albee

DEATHWATCH
by Jean Genet

PICNIC ON THE BATTLEFIELD
by Fernando Arrabel

THE KILLER
by Eugène Ionesco
directed by Richard Barr

ZOO STORY
by Edward Albee
directed by Richard Barr

A TOY FOR THE CLOWNS
by Gene Feist

CHIT CHAT ON A RAT
by C. Skirivanek Atherton

PROMETHEUS BOUND
by Lawrence Wunderlich

WHISPER INTO MY GOOD EAR
by William Hanley
directed by Richard Altman
With Roberts Blossom, Boris Tumarin and Estelle Parsons
Opened October 1

MRS. DALLY HAS A LOVER
by William Hanley
directed by Richard Altman
With Estelle Parsons and Robert Drivas

THE AMERICAN DREAM
by Edward Albee

THE DEATH OF BESSIE SMITH<
by Edward Albee

THE DUMBWAITER
by Harold Pinter
directed by Alan Schneider
With Henderson Forsythe

THE COLLECTION
by Harold Pinter
directed by Alan Schneider
With Henderson Forsythe

1963

THE AMERICAN DREAM
by Edward Albee

THE ZOO STORY
by Edward Albee

CORRUPTION IN THE PALACE OF JUSTICE
by Ugo Betti
opened October 8

1964

THE LOVER
by Harold Pinter
directed by Alan Schneider
with Hilda Brawner, Michael Lipton, and Charles Kindl
opened January 4

A TRIPLE BILL:

PLAY
by Samuel Beckett
with Alice Drummond, Marian Reardon, and Ray Stewart
directed by Alan Schneider

THE TWO EXECTIONERS
by Fernando Arrabal
directed by Edward Parone
with Ron Mack, Peter Michaels, Marian Reardon, David Spielberg, George Anderson
and Charles Kindl

DUTCHMAN
by LeRoi Jones
directed by Edward Parone
with Robert Hooks and Jennifer West
The Triple Bill presented by Richard Barr, Clinton Wilder and Edward Albee.
productions designed by William Ritman
stage manager, Robert D. Currie
opened March 24

THE GIANTS' DANCE
by Otis Bigelow
directed by Jack Sydow
produced by Richard Barr and Clinton Wilder
with Leonard Drum, Alice Drummond, Bill Fletcher, Kelly Jean Peters, Dillon Evans,
Boris Tumarin, Wyman Pendleton, Terrence Scammell and Herbert Voland
opened November 16

Albarwild receives a 3-year grant of $197,000 for the development of new playwrights:
Sam Shepard, LeRoi Jones, Kenneth Pressman, Lawrence Osgood and Emanuel Peluso

THE BURIAL COMMITTEE
by Otoway Crockett

1965

THE CITY SCENE: PART 1
PARADISE GARDENS-EAST
by Frank Gagliano
directed by Melvin Bernhardt
with Linda Segal, Charlotte Jones, Jack K. Harmon, John Bakos, Gustav Sabin, William Shust, and Willy Switkes
Presented by Theater 1965, Playwrights Unit as the Fourteenth Workshop Production of the 1964/1965 Season

FIRST EVENING OF NEW PLAYWRIGHTS

UP TO THURSDAY
by Sam Shepard
directed by Chuck Gnys
with Harvey Keitel and Joyce Aaron

BALLS
by Paul Foster
with Shirley Stoler

HOME FREE!
by Lanford Wilson
with Michael Warren Powell

SECOND EVENING OF NEW PLAYWRIGHTS
two one-act plays presented by by Theater 1965 (Richard Barr, Clinton Wilder and Edward Albee)

PIGEONS
by Lawrence Osgood
directed by Edward Parone
with Charlotte Jones, Marian Reardon, and Geraldine Fitzgerald

CONERICO WAS HERE TO STAY
by Frank Gagliano
directed by Melvin Gagliano
with Mark Gordon, Vicki Blankenship, Charles Kindl, Willy Switkes, Linda Segal, Jose M. Bonilla, William Maner, Jaime Sanchez, and Harvey Selsby
opened March 3
view photos

THIRD EVENING OF NEW PLAYWRIGHTS

HUNTING THE JINGO BIRD
by Kenneth Pressman
directed by Chuck Gnys

LOVEY
by Joseph Morgenstern
with James Coco

DO NOT PASS GO
by Charles Nolte
directed by Alan Schneider

THAT THING AT THE CHERRY LANE
by Jeff Steve Harris
with Jo Anne Worley

THE ZOO STORY
by Edward Albee
directed by Alan Schneider

KRAPP'S LAST TAPE
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Alan Schneider

HAPPY DAYS
by Samuel Beckett

THE DEATH OF BESSIE SMITH
by Edward Albee

A LESSON IN A DEAD LANGUAGE
by Adrienne Kennedy

GOOD DAY
by Emanuel Peluso
with Frank Langella & Nancy Marchand
Obie Award

THE EXHAUSTION OF OUR SON'S LOVE
by Jerome Max
opened October 18
Obie Award

THE RAPE OF BUNNY STUNTZ
by A.R. Gurney

1966

ROOMS: A DOUBLE-BILL

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
by Stanley Mann

A WALK IN DARK PLACES
by Stanley Mann
with James Broderick, Shirley Knight & Irene Dailey

BIG MAN
by Lawrence Weinberg
with Rue McClanahan

DUET FOR THREE
by Lawrence Weinberg
with Rue McClanahan

POSTCARDS
by James Prideaux
directed by Richard Barr

LIFE & DEATH
by Edward Albee

THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER
by Thornton Wilder
directed by Michael Kahn

QUEEN OF FRANCE
by Thornton Wilder
directed by Michael Kahn

THE HAPPY JOURNEY TO TRENTON AND CAMDEN
by Thornton Wilder
directed by Michael Kahn

THE BUTTER AND EGG MAN
by George S. Kaufman
directed by Burt Shevelove
with Tyne Daly
opened October 17

NIGHT OF THE DUNCE
by Frank Gagliano
directed by Joseph Hardy
with James Noble, Elaine Hyman, Robert Salvio, Anne Revere, Tony Musante, Alfred Hinkley, Terry Kiser, Salem Ludwig
opened December 28

1967

THE RIMERS OF ELDRITCH
by Lanford Wilson
directed by Michael Kahn
with Don Scardino, Dena Dietrich, Ruth Manning and Susan Tyrrell
opened February 20

THE PARTY ON GREENWICH AVENUE
by Grandin Conover
directed by Richard Altman
with Clarence Williams III and Joyce Aaron

A double bill:

BASEMENT
by Murray Schisgal
directed by Larry Arrick
produced by Edgar Lansbury and Marc Merson
with Gene Hackman, Sylvia Gassell and James Coco
opened October 2

FRAGMENTS
by Murray Schisgal
directed by Larry Arick
produced by Edgar Lansbury and Marc Merson
with Gene Hackman, Tresa Hughes, Humbert Allen Astredo and James Coco
opened October 2

IN CIRCLES
by Gertrude Stein
music by Al Carmines

1968

NOW
by George Hainsoh, John Aman and the cast

SAVED
by Edward Bond
directed by Alan Schneider

Triple Play – Three One Acts:

I SAW A MONKEY
by Randolph Carter

SAVE IT FOR YOUR DEATHBED
by Randolph Carter

THE LATE LATE SHOW
by Randolph Carter

1969

TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK
by Lorraine Hansberry
presented by Harry Belafonte
with Barbara Baxley, Rita Gardner, Janet League, Cicely Tyson, John Beal, Gertrude Jeanette, Micki Grant, Stephen Strimpell and Andre Womble

LOVE YOUR CROOKED NEIGHBOR
by Harold J. Chapler

1970

UNFAIR TO GOLIATH
by Ephraim Kishon
lyrics by Herbert Appleman
opened January 25

THE NUNS
by Eduardo Manet
with Roy Scheider

CHILDREN IN THE RAIN
by Dennis McIntyre

THE IMMACULATE MISCONCEPTION
by W. Randolph Galvin

1971

GODSPELL
music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
directed by Andy Hinds
with Paul Blake, Michael Cashman, Warwick Evans, Jenny Galloway, Louise Gold, Gary Hurst, Colette Kelly, Paul McGough, Anthony O'Keeffe and Josephine Welcome
opened May 17

GUNPLAY
by Yale M. Udoff

1972

WANTED
book by David Epstein
Music and lyrics by Al Carmines
opened January 19

1973

MYSTERY PLAY
by Jean-Claude Van Italie
directed by Jacques Levy
produced by J. Craig Owens
with Judd Hirsch, Shami Chaikin, Cynthia Harris, Donald Warfield, Rick Friesen, Nancy Charney, Tom Brannum and Rod Browning
opened January 3

WELCOME TO ANDROMEDA
by Ron Whyte
directed by Tom Moore
produced by Sidney Annis
with David Clennon and Bella Jarrett
opened February 12

VARIETY OBIT
by Ron Whyte
directed by Tom Moore
produced by Sidney Annis
with Andrea Marcovici and Richard Cox (Singers), David Clennon, Mel Marvin (Piano) and Gary Mure (Drums)
opened February 12

NOURISH THE BEAST
by Steve Teisch
with John Randolph and Olympia Dukakis

1974

FELIX
by Claude McNeal

DEAR NOBODY
by Terry Berlanger and Jane Marla Robbins

1975

BLASTS AND BRAVOS: AN EVENING WITH H. L. MENCKEN
adapted by Paul Shyre
opened February 22

HUSTLERS
by A. J. Kronengold

1976

SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO
by David Mamet
directed by Albert Takazauchas
produced by Larry Goosen and Jeffrey Wachtel
with F. Murray Abraham, Peter Riegert, Gina Rogers and Jane Anderson
opened June 16
view poster

DUCK VARIATIONS
by David Mamet
directed by Albert Takazauchas
produced by Larry Goosen and Jeffrey Wachtel
with F. Murray Abraham, Peter Riegert, Michael Egan and Michael Kellin
opened June 16

1977

I WAS SITTING ON MY PATIO THIS GUY APPEARED I THOUGHT I WAS HALLUCINATING
by Robert Wilson
with Robert Wilson & Lucinda Childs

1977-1978

PASSION OF DRACULA
by Bob Hall & David Richmond
directed by Peter Bennett
produced by Robert Hall, Eric Krebs and David Richmond
with Brian Bell, Christopher Bernau, Michael Burg, Samuel Maupin, K. Lype O’Dell,
Giulia Pagano, Elliott Vileen, Alice White and K. C. Wilson
opened September 27

1979

WOODY GUTHRIE
directed by George Boyd
produced by Harold Leventhal & Michael Diamond

Click here to return to the History page.