Theatrical avant-garde repertory company.
It was formed in New York City in 1947 by Julian Beck (192585) and Judith Malina (b. 1926) to produce experimental plays, often on radical themes. Its first big success was Jack Gelber's The Connection (1959), a drama of drug addiction. Its next, Kenneth Brown's The Brig (1963), depicted military discipline as dehumanizing. After problems with U.S. tax authorities, the company was relocated to Europe (196568). It returned to New York City to present the confrontational Paradise Now (1968), a production intended to spark revolution. The group dispersed in 1970.