History
1950 to 1974
Beyond the Mountain
1951
by Kenneth Rexroth
with Judith Malina
Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights
1951
by Gertrude Stein
Ladies’ Voices
1952
by Gertrude Stein
An Evening of Bohemian Theatre
Faustina
1952
by Paul Goodman
with Judith Malina, Paul Smith and Julie Bovasso
Desire Caught by the Tail
1952
by Pablo Picasso
An Evening of Bohemian Theatre
Sweeny Agonistes
1952
by T.S. Eliot
An Evening of Bohemian Theatre
Music of Changes
1952
by John Cage
with David Tudor
A reading by Dylan Thomas
The Heroes
1952
by John Ashbury
designed by Julian Beck
The fire department closed the shows Ubu and The Heroes, insisting that Julian Beck’s sets were dangerously flammable. It has been suggested that the closing of the shows was an attempt to contain The Living Theatre and their ‘bohemian influence.’ Judith Malina chased the fire inspector from the theatre down Commerce Street with a bamboo spear.
Ubu Roi
1952
by Alfred Jarry, translated by Judith Malina and Julian Beck
designed by Julian Beck
The fire department closed the shows Ubu and The Heroes, insisting that Julian Beck’s sets were dangerously flammable. It has been suggested that the closing of the shows was an attempt to contain The Living Theatre and their ‘bohemian influence.’ Judith Malina chased the fire inspector from the theatre down Commerce Street with a bamboo spear.
The Way of the World
1955
by William Congreve
with Fritz Weaver, Thayer David, Nancy Wickwire and Louis Edmonds
Produced by Proscenium Productions
Proscenium Productions at the Cherry Lane become the first Off-Broadway company to receive a Special Award Tony, for generally high quality and viewpoint, as shown in The Way of the World and Thieves’ Carnival. The award was presented to Warren Enters, Robert Merriman and Sybil Trubin.
Morning’s at Seven
1955
by Paul Osbourn
Produced by Proscenium Productions
Proscenium Productions at the Cherry Lane become the first Off-Broadway company to receive a Special Award Tony, for generally high quality and viewpoint, as shown in The Way of the World and Thieves’ Carnival. The award was presented to Warren Enters, Robert Merriman and Sybil Trubin.
Thieves’ Carnival
1955
by Jean Anouilh
with Tom Bosley
Produced by Proscenium Productions
Proscenium Productions at the Cherry Lane become the first Off-Broadway company to receive a Special Award Tony, for generally high quality and viewpoint, as shown in The Way of the World and Thieves’ Carnival. The award was presented to Warren Enters, Robert Merriman and Sybil Trubin.
The Man with the Golden Arm
1956
by Jack Kirkland
with Robert Loggia, Peggy Feury, Vincent Gardenia and Dolores Sutton
Purple Dust
1956
by Sean O'Casey
produced by Paul Shyre and Noel Behn
with Kathleen Murray, Peter Falk & Alvin Epstein
Barbra Streisand, Understudy and Assistant Stage Manager
The show ran for 430 performances, longer than an O’Casey play had ever run anywhere.
The Admirable Bashville and The Dark Lady of the Sonnets
1956
by George Bernard Shaw
with Frances Sternhagen
Ms. Sternhagen was awarded The Clarence Derwent Award for Unknown Featured Actress in US & Europe.
Sideways and the Sound of Crying
1956
by S. Lee Pogostin
Once Around the Block
1956
by William Saroyan
This Property is Condemned
1956
by Tennessee Williams
Endgame
1957
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Alan Schneider
produced by Noel Behn
designed by David Hays
with Alvin Epstein, P.J. Kelly, Lester Rawlins
Camille
1958
by Alexandre Dumas
with Colleen Dewhurst
The Party with Betty Comden and Adolf Green
1958
by Comden and Green
The Roots of Jazz
1959
This revue marked Broadway producer Manny Fox's first major theatrical offering.
Dinny & The Witches
1959
by William Gibson
directed by Jess Kimmel
produced by Jess Kimmel and Alfred Stern
with Bill Heyer
Gay Divorce
1960
book by Dwight Taylor
music and lyrics by Cole Porter
with Beatrice Arthur, Richard Barr & Clinton Wilder Productions
The Pretenders
1960
by Lionel Abel
produced by Frank Perry
with James Earl Jones & Roscoe Lee Browne
The Sudden End of Anne Cinquefoil
1960
by Richard Hepburn
The American Dream
1961
by Edward Albee
Revived in 2008 with The Sandbox by Cherry Lane Theatre as part of our Heritage Series. Directed by Mr. Albee.
presented in a Double Bill with:
The Death of Bessie Smith
The Death of Bessie Smith
1961
presented in a Double Bill with:
The American Dream
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
Tiger Rag
1961
book and lyrics by Seyril Schochen
music by Kenneth Gaburo
directed by Ella Gerber
Happy Days
1961
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Alan Schneider
with Ruth White and John C. Becher
production designed by William Ritman
World Premiere
Revived in 2002 by Cherry Lane Theatre as part of our Heritage Series. Directed by Joseph Chaikin.
And He Made Her
1961
by Doric Wilson
A Stage Affair
1962
by Paul Crabtree
Little Mary Sunshine
1962
Book, music, lyrics, and directed by Rick Besoyan
with Margaret Hall, Richard Charles Hoh, Janice Mars, Leonard Frye, and Kenneth MacMillan
Ex-Miss Copper Queen on a Set of Pills
1962
by Megan Terry
This Side of the Door
1962
by Terrence McNally
With Estelle Parsons and William Traylor
Theatre of the Absurd
1962
Works by Albee, Arrabal, Beckett, Genet, Ionesco, Koch and Richardson
Bertha
1962
by Kenneth Koch
Gallows Humor
1962
by Jack Richardson
The Sandbox
1962
by Edward Albee
Revived in 2008 with The American Dream by Cherry Lane Theatre as part of our Heritage Series. Directed by Mr. Albee.
Deathwatch
1962
by Jean Genet
Picnic on the Battlefield
1962
by Fernando Arrabel
Zoo Story
1962
by Edward Albee
directed by Richard Barr
The Killer
1962
by Eugène Ionesco
directed by Richard Barr
Chit Chat On a Rat
1962
by C. Skirivanek Atherton
A Toy for the Clowns
1962
by Gene Feist
Prometheus Bound
1962
by Lawrence Wunderlich
Mrs. Dally Has a Lover
1962
by William Hanley
directed by Richard Altman
With Estelle Parsons and Robert Drivas
The American Dream
1962
by Edward Albee
The Collection
1962
by Harold Pinter
directed by Alan Schneider
With Henderson Forsythe
The Death of Bessie Smith
1962
by Edward Albee
The Collection
1962
by Harold Pinter
directed by Alan Schneider
With Henderson Forsythe
Endgame
1962
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Alan Schneider
with Vincent Gardenia, Ben Piazza, John C. Becher, & Sudie Bond
Whisper Into My Good Ear
1962
by William Hanley
directed by Richard Altman
With Roberts Blossom, Boris Tumarin and Estelle Parsons
The American Dream
1963
by Edward Albee
The Zoo Story
1963
by Edward Albee
Performance by Moni Yakim and Company
1963
The father of modern mime, Moni Yakim (Etienne Decroux) performs with his company. The filmed event includes:
Passage of Men through Earth (entire company)
Lance Thrusts (Sterling Jensen and Moni Yakim)
Duo of Love (Moni and Mina Yakim)
The Trees (Sterling Jensen, Jewel Walker, Moni Yakim)
The Burial Committee
1964
by Otoway Crockett
The Lover
1964
by Harold Pinter
directed by Alan Schneider
with Hilda Brawner, Michael Lipton, and Charles Kindl
A Triple Bill: Play, The Two Exectioners, & Dutchman
1964
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
The Giants’ Dance
1964
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
First Evening of New Playrights
1965
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
The Rape of Bunny Stuntz
1965
by A.R. Gurney
Third Evening of New Playrights
1965
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
Adrienne Kennedy
GOOD DAY
by Emanuel Peluso
with Frank Langella & Nancy Marchand
THE EXHAUSTION OF OUR SON'S LOVE
by Jerome Max
Good Day and The Exhaustion of Our Son’s Love both received Obies.
Second Evening of New Playrights
1965
PIGEONS
by Lawrence Osgood
directed by Edward Parone
with Geraldine Fitzgerald
CONERICO WAS HERE TO STAY
by Frank Gagliano
directed by Joseph Hardy
with James Noble, Elaine Hyman, Robert Salvio, Anne Revere, Tony Musante, Alfred Hinckley, Terry Kiser and Salem Ludwig
Room: A Double-Bill - Better Luck Next Time and A Walk in Dark Places
1966
BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME
by Stanley Mann
A WALK IN DARK PLACES
by Stanley Mann
with James Broderick, Shirley Knight & Irene Dailey
Big Man
1966
by Lawrence Weinberg
with Rue McClanahan
Duet for Three
1966
by Lawrence Weinberg
with Rue McClanahan
Postcards
1966
by James Prideaux
directed by Richard Barr
Queen of France
1966
by Thornton Wilder
directed by Michael Kahn
Life & Death
1966
by Edward Albee
The Long Christmas Dinner
1966
by Thornton Wilder
directed by Michael Kahn
The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden
1966
by Thornton Wilder
directed by Michael Kahn
The Butter and the Egg Man
1966
by George S. Kaufman
directed by Burt Shevelove
with Tyne Daly
Night of the Dunce
1966
by Frank Gagliano
directed by Joseph Hardy
with James Noble, Elaine Hyman, Robert Salvio, Anne Revere, Tony Musante, Alfred Hinkley, Terry Kiser, Salem Ludwig
The Party on Greenwich Avenue
1967
by Grandin Conover
directed by Richard Altman
with Clarence Williams III and Joyce Aaron
In Circles
1967
by Gertrude Stein
music by Al Carmines
The Rimers of Eldritch
1967
by Lanford Wilson
directed by Michael Kahn
with Don Scardino, Dena Dietrich, Ruth Manning and Susan Tyrrell
A Double Bill: Basement and Fragments
1967
BASEMENT
by Murray Schisgal
directed by Larry Arrick
produced by Edgar Lansbury and Marc Merson
with Gene Hackman, Sylvia Gassell and James Coco
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
Saved
1968
by Edward Bond
directed by Alan Schneider
Now
1968
by George Hainsoh, John Aman and the cast
Triple Play - Three One Acts
1968
I SAW A MONKEY
by Randolph Carter
SAVE IT FOR YOUR DEATHBED
by Randolph Carter
THE LATE LATE SHOW
by Randolph Carter
Love Your Crooked Neighbor
1969
by Harold J. Chapler
To Be Young, Gifted and Black
1969
by Lorraine Hansberry
directed by Gene Frankel
presented by Harry Belafonte
with Barbara Baxley, Rita Gardner, Janet League, Cicely Tyson, John Beal, Gertrude Jeanette, Micki Grant, Stephen Strimpell and Andre Womble
First presented on January 2, 1969
The Nuns
1970
by Eduardo Manet
with Roy Scheider
The Immaculate Misconception
1970
by W. Randolph Galvin
Children In the Rain
1970
by Dennis McIntyre
Gunplay
1970
by Yale M. Udoff
Unfair to Goliath
1970
by Ephraim Kishon
lyrics by Herbert Appleman
Godspell
1971
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
Wanted
1972
book by David Epstein
Music and lyrics by Al Carmines
Nourish the Beast
1973
by Steve Teisch
with John Randolph and Olympia Dukakis
Mystery Play
1973
by Jean-Claude Van Itallie
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
Welcome to Andromeda
1973
by Ron Whyte
directed by Tom Moore
produced by Sidney Annis
with David Clennon and Bella Jarrett
Variety Obit
1973
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)
Felix
1974
by Claude McNeal
Dear Nobody
1974
by Terry Berlanger and Jane Marla Robbins