Play Work: a life in theatre

Michael Smith, remembered primarily for his critical writing in The Village Voice, revisits a lifetime of his own play work, from the dawn of the sixties to the twilight of Obama, from Greenwich Village to the Willamette Valley, writing, directing, producing, and lighting a bounty of plays by himself and other singular representatives of his generation. This intimate new text warmly recalls his backstage roles in plays at the legendary Caffè Cino, La Mama, Theatre Genesis, The Changing Scene in Denver, two theatres in Santa Barbara, and the Brush Creek Playhouse in rural Oregon—plays by Sam Shepard, Jeff Weiss, Jean-Claude van Itallie, María Irene Fornés, Ronald Tavel, Søren Agenoux, George F. Walker, Guy J. Jackson, Samuel Beckett, and the Living Theatre, along with more than a score of Michael Smith originals, including Captain Jack’s Revenge, Cowgirl Ecstasy, and Hamlet in Love, with original production photographs. And an amazing time was had by one and all.