The Actor's Workshop

Founded in 1952 by two professors from San Francisco State College, Herbert Blau and Jules Irving, it rapidly became the city's leading regional theatre. The use of the singular in the name was a conscious decision since it was the founders' intention to offer “a place where each individual could pursue his craft.” After two years in a loft and a highly praised mounting of Lorca's Blood Wedding, the troupe moved to an abandoned warehouse. A year later it took over the Marines' Memorial Theatre. Although the company occasionally presented classics, it was best known for its interpretation of modern avant‐garde and politically oriented works. Among its noteworthy productions were Mother Courage, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Birthday Party, and Waiting for Godot. It gave performances at the Brussels and Seattle World's Fairs and initiated a workshop for prisoners at San Quentin. After Blau and Irving left in 1965 to head the new theatre at Lincoln Center, it fell apart, despite sporadic attempts to keep it going.