On March 18, 1961, Doric Wilson’s  And He Made A Her was performed in Caffe Cino, a coffeehouse theatre devoted to experimental theatre and Off-Off Broadway productions. The production of this play jumpstarted Off-Off Broadway, bringing a lot of attention to its importance and existence. After the production of this play several other non-profit theatre organizations were born, including La Mama Experimental Theatre Club and Judson Poet’s Theatre. Off-Off Broadway is a type of theatre that consists of mainly experimental theatre for the sole purpose of expressing the playwright’s views and opinions without worrying about commercial funding. Playwrights were now able to expand the boundaries of theatre by producing plays that did not adhere to the cultural standards or popular culture of that time.

Not only did the production of And He Made A Her jumpstart Off-Off Broadway, but it also marked the beginning of the gay theatre movement. And He Made A Her was one of the first plays to openly present gay themes. As a result Caffe Cino became an extremely important component in the gay theatre movement as caffe Cino became the most popular place for performing gay themed plays. Several productions in Caffe Cino in 1964 followed in Wilson’s footsteps such as Robert Patrick’s The Haunted Host and Lanford Wilson’s The Madness of Lady Bright. Caffe Cino and its production of And He Made A Her became milestones in theatre history as it initiated the public recognition of Off-Off Broadway and the gay theatre movement.

My full paper is about common themes seen in Off-Off Broadway theatre in Greenwich Village in 1964. If you would like to read/hear more about my research you can email me at cbenzach@hunter.cuny.edu 🙂

Source for image of And He Made A Her playbill: http://www.warholstars.org/andywarhol_0309.html