A Beckett Full of Wine or Albee Alright in the Morning

Two nights ago, I had the honor of attending the New York Innovative Theatre Awards which celebrates Off-Off-Broadway theatre. The Blue Man Group performed, Lisa Kron hosted, and presenters included Olympia Dukakis, Tina Howe, Bill Irwin, and Edward Albee. Judith Malina, co-founder of The Living Theatre, received an honorary award as did nytheatre.com.

The event was very fancy, exciting and brought legitimacy to Indie theatre. Albee said “There are two types of theatre. Commercial theatre and the theatre that matters. This is the theatre that matters.”

The celebration was extra special because it celebrated the 50th anniversary of Off-Off-Broadway theatre. I kept hearing one name over and over again that I had never heard before. I’ve done some research into it now, and I’d like to share it with you. The name is Café Cino.

In 1958, a man named Joseph Cino opened a coffee shop on Cornelia Street in Greenwich Village with the intention of presenting poetry, art, and folk music. By December of that year, plays were being performed. Cino introduced every act by saying, “It’s magic time!” This was the birth of Off-Off-Broadway theatre (and gay theatre). Along with performing plays by Tennessee Williams and Jean Giraudoux, there were a number of new playwrights that found a home and at Café Cino. These included John Guare, Sam Shepherd, Jean-Claude Van Itallie, Lanford Wilson, and Doric Wilson (who Mitch and I had the honor of meeting at the NYIT Awards – he laughed when we told him we were starting a company, telling us in colorful metaphors how difficult it is to do such a thing).

When Café Cino started, there wasn’t even a stage. And when Joe Cino finally put one in, it was only 8’ by 8’ and made of milk crates. This is the legacy and challenge that Cino and Off-Off-Broadway have given us. How can we create theatre with no resources?

No. 11 Productions is an Indie theatre company. We have no money and we have no venue. But we do have perhaps five of the most valuable assets: time, creativity, energy, talent, and passion. So, armed with these, all that’s left to say is “It’s magic time!”

Written by Julie Congress