Living Theatre Presents 50th Anniv. of THE CONNECTION 12/30 -2/13

The Living Theatre (19 Clinton St.), the oldest experimental theatre group still exisiting in the country, will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of THE CONNECTION by playwright Jack Gelber with a new production directed by Judith Malina. The Living Theatre will present the 50th anniversary revival in collaboration with New York City jazz musician Rene McLean, who will conduct a New York jazz ensemble. The Production will begin performances on December 30, 2008 and will open on Thursday, January 8, 2009. and will continue until Feburary 13, 2009. Judith Malina directs.

The groundbreaking production of The Connection (1959) attracted national attention for its shocking portrayal of drug addiction and its equally unexpected language. It was an enormous success for its improvisational style of acting and its exciting use of live jazz musicians including Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd (who composed the original score), Cecil Payne, Kenny Drew, Tina Brooks and Cecil Taylor. Martin Sheen, a Living Theatre supporter and board member, launched his career with his work in the play. The show won several Obies and ran for more than 700 performances. Its raw immediacy and demolition of the normal boundaries between audience and cast influenced generations of theatre productions and it is our desire to reintroduce this seminal work to a new generation of actors and jazz musicians and of course our audience.

The Connection is a play about the human condition. The audience encounters a group of junkies and a group of jazz musicians waiting in a loft for "Cowboy" to bring them a fix, while they are being filmed for a movie about their lives. It is the entrance to a complex world, which mirrors many aspects of the human condition from the burning despair of the addict to the glorious redemption of the jazz music.

The Connection was performed by The Living Theatre in 1959 and toured throughout Europe into the 1960's. Then, it featured the music of Freddy Redd and the Saxophone of Jackie Maclean and such actors as Joe Chaikin, Martin Sheen and James Earl Jones.

This new production will feature Rene Maclean, who is the brilliant musician son of Jackie Maclean, Judith Malina who will direct and play the role of Sister Salvation and members of The Living Theatre's 2007 Obie Award winning ensemble cast of Ken Brown's The Brig.

The Connection features Gary Brackett, Eric Olson, John Kohan, Eno Edet, Anthony Sisco, Brad Burgess, Jeff Nash David Copley, Albert Lamont, Enoch Wu and Judith Malina.

Assistant Director is Judy Rhymer, 2nd AD- Maia Larraz, Set and Lghting Design is by Gary Brackett, Music Supervisor is Patrick Grant, Music Director is Rene Maclean, Stage Manager is Erin Downhour.

Performances are on Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling OvationTix at 212.352.3101. Students and senior tickets are available for $20. Wednesday is "Pay What You Can" night and seating is on a first come first serve basis. For further information, visit www.livingtheatre.org.

The Living Theatre is an American theatre company founded in 1947 and based in New York City. It is the oldest experimental theatre group still existing in the U.S. For most of its history it was led by its founders, actor Judith Malina and painter /poet Julian Beck; after Beck's death in 1985. Judith Malina is Artistic Director.

In the 1950s, The Living Theatre was among the first in the U.S. to produce the work of influential European playwrights such as Bertolt Brecht and Jean Cocteau, as well as modernist poets such as T.S. Eliot and Gertrude Stein. Based in a variety of small New York locations that were frequently closed due to financial problems or conflicts with city authorities, they helped to originate Off-Broadway as a significant force in U.S. theatre. Their work during this period shared some aspects of style and content with beat generation writers. Also during the 1950s, the American composer Alan Hovhaness worked closely with the Living Theatre, composing music for its productions.

 

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