La Mama Experimental Theatre Club (New York). Founded in Greenwich Village in 1962 by Ellen Stewart, the group is the city's oldest, most durable, and least compromising experimental theatre. The performance space originally was a combination boutique and theatre, but in 1970 moved to its current location on East 4th Street where in its three theatres it has presented hundreds of events ranging from theatre to poetry readings, dance, and performance art. In addition to its own productions, Café La MaMa (as it is more popularly known as) has sponsored avant‐garde companies from around the world, such as Jerzy Grotowski's Polish Lab Theatre, and produced early works by Sam Shepard, Lanford Wilson, Harold Pinter, Andrei Serban, Megan Terry, Rochelle Owens, and many others. The group also tours extensively. Ellen STEWART (b. 1920?) was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, of Cajun ancestry, came to New York in the 1950s, and worked as an elevator operator and clothing designer before opening her boutique that turned into a theatre.
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
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La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an American not-for-profit cultural organization located in the East Village section of lower Manhattan. It is one of the first and primary locations in Off-Off-Broadway theater. The company won a Drama Desk Special Award in 1980.
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History
Founded by Ellen Stewart in 1961, its purpose is to support and present multi-cultural and multi-national original performance work by emerging artists.
The company website lists its first production as One Arm by Tennessee Williams and directed by Andy Milligan on July 27, 1962.[1]
The first space was at 321 East 9th Street. It was 20' x 30' deep and 10' high and could seat 30. No admission was charged (although a basket was passed around). Coffee and cake were sold.
The theatre now consists of three main stages and an art gallery at 74A East 4th Street and a six-story rehearsal and workshop space on Great Jones Street.[2]
One of the most successful plays to originate at the theatre was Torch Song Trilogy. One of its segments, International Stud, played there for two weeks in 1978, drawing mainstream critical attention to Harvey Fierstein which resulted in moves to bigger venues before eventually playing on Broadway and becoming a movie.
Over the years La MaMa has hosted full-time resident companies headed by Tom O'Horgan, Wilford Leach, Joel Zwick, Elizabeth Swados, and Tom Eyen, among others. It is the present home of the Great Jones Repertory Company.
In 2005, the theatre was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.[3][4]
Notable performers
Many famous actors, directors and playwrights started their careers in La MaMa, including:
- Robert De Niro
- Al Pacino
- Harvey Keitel
- Jackie Curtis
- Danny DeVito
- Diane Lane
- Billy Crystal
- Patti Smith
- Nick Nolte
- Sam Shepard
- Andrei Şerban
- Lisa Edelstein
- Lanford Wilson.[5]
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
 | Ellen Stewart (literature) |
| Caffe Cino (American Theater) |
| Men in White (Author Biography) (play) |
 | The eugene o'neill theatre center in connecticut.. actors theatre of louisville.. la mama experimental theatre club all? |
| Who was murdered in Leatherhead Theatre Club? |
| What does De le a tu mama la amo? |
Copyrights:
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 | American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club". Read more |
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Mentioned in
- Ellen Stewart (literature)
- Caffe Cino (American Theater)
- Men in White (Author Biography) (play)
- Arden of Faversham (Critical Overview) (play)
