by Red Cell
Elina Lowensohn & Willem Dafoe in Foreman’s IDIOT SAVANT (ends Dec 20)- Photo – Paula Court
In a future thinking and wonderfully peer conscience move, experimental theater pioneer and Ontological Hysterical Theater founder Richard Foreman, has put online 55 of his dialog filled notebooks, totaling 15 years of daily work, for open source use. He is asking for no royalties and in his own words, is only asking for two things: a) you simply notify me, so I can know if this material is stimulating anyone and b) any material used for production or publication displays in program or title page– relatively prominantly– the statement that the text involved is re-arranged material taken from the notebooks of Richard Foreman.
From Foreman’s website: “Foreman’s trademark “total theater” unites elements of the performative, auditory and visual arts, philosophy, psychoanalysis and literature for a unique result. Foreman’s style is not meant to be ‘cerebral’, but rather, the density of his compositional theater is an attempt to viscerally reflect and process everything that he has inherited from his explorations in twentieth century thought and art.” Both LaMonte Young and Jack Smith were influences for Foreman, with their approaches to time and structure. He has won 10 Obie Awards, 5 for Best Play of the Year and 5 for Sustained Achievement.
If you peruse these texts and determine that there is something of value for you or your group to use, please let us here at The End of Being know. We would love to share your performance with our readers!
Below is a great interview with Foreman on Charles Bernstein’s “Close Listening” radio show.
RICHARD FOREMAN ON “CLOSE LISTENING”
I need your email address in order to send you my pdf file, ” Forbidden Doors “. Thanx-Frank.