Robert Patrick to Debut Theater History DVD During NY Pride

NEW YORK—Noted playwright and GAYVN contributor Robert Patrick will present the first public screening of his DVD memoir Caffe Cino: The Birthplace of Gay Theatre June 19 in New York City.

The DVD incorporates hundreds of images from Patrick’s exclusive collection of early Off-Off Broadway photos to reveal the history of early gay theater. Following the screening, the audience is invited to participate in a discussion with knowledgeable Off-Off Broadway practitioners Bob Dahdah, Bob Heide, William M. Hofman, Barbara Kahn and Doric Wilson, plus members of the young gay company Askew Theatre.

Patrick, Doric Wilson, Alan Lysander James, Lanford Wilson, Hoffman, Heide, Andy Milligan, Jean-Claude van Itallie, Claris Nelson, Haal Borske and George Birimisa formed the vanguard of Off-Off Broadway efforts. All wrote and performed at the legendary Caffe Cino, founded by theatrical producer and café owner Joseph Cino (1931-1967). The development of often avant-garde Off-Off Broadway productions generally is credited to Cino’s theater, which arose in 1958 and closed the year after his death. Gay society, though still largely underground in those days, provided a large contribution to an enduring New York tradition.

Since 1964, Patrick has participated in literally hundreds of productions of his plays from Anchorage, Alaska, to Capetown. His career is chronicled on two Facebook pages, My Theatrikal Kareer - 1 and My Theatrikal Kareer - 2, as well as in 66 photo pages on the Caffe Cino blog.

“Coffeehouse Chronicles #95,” the event during which Patrick’s DVD will debut, is part of New York’s Pride festivities. It is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at 74a East Fourth St. Admission is free.

For more information about Caffe Cino: The Birthplace of Gay Theatre, visit Patrick’s personal blog.

 

Photo: Robert Patrick flanked by Harvey Fierstein (left) and Doric Wilson on a break inside Phebe's during the 1960s. Photographer unknown.