Beat Drama: Playwrights and Performances of the 'Howl’ Generation (Engage)

Readers and acolytes of the vital early 1950s-mid 1960s writers known as the Beat Generation tend to be familiar with the prose and poetry by the seminal authors of this period: Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane Di Prima, and many others. Yet all of these authors, as well as other less well-known Beat figures, also wrote plays—and these, together with their countercultural approaches to what could or should happen in the theatre—shaped the dramatic experiments of the playwrights who came after them, from Sam Shepard to Maria Irene Fornes, to the many vanguard performance artists of the seventies. This volume, the first of its kind, gathers essays about the exciting work in drama and performance by and about the Beat Generation, ranging from the well-known Beat figures such as Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs, to the “Afro-Beats” - LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka), Bob Kaufman, and others. It offers original studies of the women Beats - Di Prima, Bunny Lang - as well as groups like the Living Theater who in this era first challenged the literal and physical boundaries of the performance space itself. Cover page 1 Halftitle page 2 Series page 3 Title page 4 Copyright page 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 9 Notes on Contributors 10 Introduction 14 Works cited 22 Part One The ‘Canonical’ Beats 24 1 Mediation and Immediacy: The I and You of Jack Kerouac’s Theatre of Voice Tim Hunt 26 Works cited 37 2 Howl and the Performance of Communion John Whalen-Bridge 38 Works cited 44 3 Gregory Corso’s Dada-Surrealist-Absurd Beat Plays Ronna C. Johnson 46 Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1954 49 New York 1953: The Cold War Fifties 57 Postscript: That Little Black Door on the Left [a play] 62 Conclusion 64 Works cited 64 4 Unfair Arguments with Existence: Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s One- Acts and the Modes of Beat Drama Deborah R. Geis 68 Works cited 73 5 William S. Burroughs and the Shooting of Joan Vollmer Burroughs as Performance William Nesbitt 76 Works cited 82 6 The Stoop: Anne Waldman’s Early Drama Lisa Chinn 84 Works cited 93 Part Two The ‘Afro-Beats’ 94 7 Amiri Baraka’s Revolutionary Theatre: Black Power Politics, Avant-Garde Poetics Jimmy Fazzino 96 Works cited 106 8 Sounding Across the City: Ted Joans’s Bird Lives! As Jazz Performance Amor Kohli 110 Works cited 119 9 Radical Ritual Performance in the Early Prophetic Poetry of Bob Kaufman Thomas Pynn 122 Introduction 122 Breaking the frame of American hegemonic consciousness 124 Bob Kaufman: American Beat Prophet 127 Conclusion: Beat religious consciousness, Beat spiritual legacy 134 Works cited 136 10 Adrienne Kennedy: A Kindred Spirit to the Beats Nita N. Kumar 138 Works cited 147 Part Three Poets Theatre and the Beats 150 11 Bunny Lang and the Cambridge Poets’ Theatre in the 1950s Heidi R. Bean 152 Works cited 165 12 Diane di Prima as Playwright: The Early Years 1959–1964 Nancy M. Grace 168 Works cited 187 13 Homely Persons, Rude Speeches: Camp Personalities, Cold War Sensibilities and Dystopian Impulses in Frank O’Hara’s Loves Labor, an Eclogue Jason Lagapa 190 Works cited 200 14 Outlaw Tongues: The Stimuli for Michael McClure’s The Beard Kurt Hemmer 202 Works cited 216 15 Poetry Takes Centre Stage: John Wieners’ Still Life at the New York Poets Theatre Erik Mortenson 218 Between Black Mountain and Beat 218 A theatre for poets 221 Still Life 222 Conclusion: critics respond 227 Works cited 229 Part Four Early Off-Off Broadway Theatre 232 16 Evenings of Bohemian Cruelty: The Living Theatre in the 1950s Tim Good 234 Works cited 243 17 Eas[ing] the Possible Past the Expected: A Restaging of Hettie Jones Tatum Petrich 246 Introduction 246 Early work 247 Jones and Baraka 252 Conclusion 254 Works cited 255 18 Cowboy in the Rock Garden: Beat Influences in Sam Shepard’s Early Plays Deborah R. Geis 258 Works cited 267 19 Rochelle Owens: Off Beat, Off-Off Broadway Amy Friedman 270 The phenomenon of Futz 274 What is ‘Beat’ about Owens’s work? 276 The end of ‘the woman artist’ already 278 Works cited 280 20 Rosalyn Drexler: Savvy, Savage, Sassy Polymath Dorothy Chansky 282 Works cited 290 Part Five Film and Beat Performance 292 21 Kerouac’s The Subterraneans: When Film Adaptation Becomes Cultural Betrayal Sara Villa 294 Works cited 303 22 ‘This Was My Hollywood Career’: Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and 1950s Hollywood Matt Theado 306 Early interest: Paramount and Warner Brothers 309 Jerry Wald 310 Albert Zugsmith 315 Works cited 319 23 The Many Movies of Kerouac’s Big Sur Terence Diggory 322 Visionary cinema 324 Romantic drama and western movies 328 The movie of what everything is 335 Works cited 338 24 Angel Tendencies and Gratuitous Acts: Kill Your Darlings and the Legacy of Lucien Carr Fiona Paton 340 Works cited 354 Notes 358 Index 368 Readers And Acolytes Of The Beat Generation Tend To Be Familiar With The Prose And Poetry Of The Seminal Writers Of This Period: Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane Di Prima, And Many Others. Yet All Of These Authors, As Well As Other Less Well-known Beat Figures, Also Wrote Plays - And These, Together With Their Countercultural Approaches To What Could Or Should Happen In The Theatre - Shaped The Dramatic Experiments Of The Playwrights Who Came After Them, From Rochelle Owens To Sam Shepard, To The Many Vanguard Performance Artists Of The Seventies. This Volume, The First Of Its Kind, Gathers Essays About The Exciting Dramatic Work Of The Beat Generation, Ranging From Its Well-known Representatives Such As Kerouac, Ginsberg And Burroughs, To The 'afro-beats' - Leroi Jones (amiri Baraka), Bob Kaufman, And Others. It Offers Original Studies Of The Women Beats - Di Prima, Bunny Lang - As Well As Groups Like The Living Theater Who In This Era First Challenged The Literal And Physical Boundaries Of The Performance Space Itself. The 'canonical' Beats. Mediation And Immediacy : The I And You Of Jack Kerouac's Theatre Of Voice / Tim Hunt ; Howl And The Performance Of Communion / John Whalen-bridge ; Gregory Corso's Dada-surrealist-absurd Beat Plays / Ronna C. Johnson ; Unfair Arguments With Existence : Lawrence Ferlinghetti's One-acts And The Modes Of Beat Drama / Deborah R. Geis ; William S. Burroughs And The Shooting Of Joan Vollmer Burroughs As Performance / William Nesbitt ; The Stoop : Anne Waldman's Early Drama / Lisa Chinn -- The 'afro-beats'. Amiri Baraka's Revolutionary Theatre : Black Power Politics, Avant-garde Poetics / Jimmy Fazzino ; Sounding Across The City : Ted Joans's Bird Lives! As Jazz Performance / Amor Kohli ; Radical Ritual Performance In The Early Prophetic Poetry Of Bob Kaufman / Thomas Pynn ; Adrienne Kennedy : A Kindred Spirit To The Beats / Nita N. Kumar --^ Poets Theatre And The Beats. Bunny Lang And The Cambridge Poets' Theatre In The 1950s / Heidi R. Bean ; Diane Di Prima As Playwright : The Early Years 1959-1964 / Nancy M. Grace ; Homely Persons, Rude Speeches : Camp Personalities, Cold War Sensibilities And Dystopian Impulses In Frank O'hara's Loves Labor, An Eclogue / Jason Lagapa ; Outlaw Tongues : The Stimuli For Michael Mcclure's The Beard / Kurt Hemmer ; Poetry Takes Centre Stage : John Wieners' Still Life At The New York Poets Theatre / Erik Mortenson -- Early Off-off Broadway Theatre. Evenings Of Bohemian Cruelty : The Living Theatre In The 1950s / Tim Good ; Eas[ing] The Possible Past The Expected : A Restaging Of Hettie Jones / Tatum Petrich ; Cowboy In The Rock Garden : Beat Influences In Sam Shepard's Early Plays / Deborah R. Geis ; Rochelle Owens : Off Beat, Off-off Broadway / Amy Friedman ; Rosalyn Drexler : Savvy Savage, Sassy Polymath / Dorothy Chansky --^ Film And Beat Performance. Kerouac's The Subterraneans : When Film Adaptation Becomes Cultural Betrayal / Sara Villa ; 'this Was My Hollywood Career' : Jack Kerouac's On The Road And 1950s Hollywood / Matt Theado ; The Many Movies Of Kerouac's Big Sur / Terence Diggory ; Angel Tendencies And Gratuitous Acts : Kill Your Darlings And The Legacy Of Lucien Carr / Fiona Paton. Edited By Deborah R. Geis. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.