Gordon Porterfield
Encyclopedia
Gordon Porterfield is an American playwright, novelist, poet and teacher, whose work has been produced for the stage in Baltimore, New York and London.
, which was founded in 1968 by Ellen Stewart
and Leslie Irons as an experimental theatre
whose principal goal was the production of new plays. Porterfield's output was impressive by any standard, creating literally dozens of works both short and full-length. Authors and the apocalyptic The Earth Is Dead - an evening of one-acts under the collective title Ratsfeet, were the first Porterfield plays offered by the theatre, followed in very short order with a full-length play Universal Nigger (1969), which told the story of a modern-day African-American Christ
, following his movements through the stations of the cross. The production was highly controversial and drew large crowds. The following year, Brooklyn
's Chelsea Theater Center
acquired the rights to Universal Nigger and produced it in their own space for New York
audiences, under the direction of Robert Kalfin
. Gnomes, a collection of thirteen short one-act plays, was presented the following year. Director Michael Makarovich subsequently staged two Gordon Porterfield one-acts at Corner: The Catcher Was A Fag and I And Silence Some Strange Race; as well as an original teleplay entitled Tigers.
In 1972, Corner Theatre presented what many considered Porterfield's defining work for that time, a scatalogical romp down the Yellow Brick Road entitled whatisoneholycatholicapostalicbrownandstinksuptheuniverse. 1973 saw the production of another evening of one-acts, entitled Wolves. Chancre, a hallucinatory tour de force, was Porterfield's final offering at the Corner Theatre.
In 1987 The Yippie Book, Porterfield's instructional work for educators, was published by Perfection Form Co. Twelve years later, Porterfield came out of theatrical retirement with the critically acclaimed play Snow, which was performed at the completely reformed version of his old stomping grounds, the Fells Point Corner Theatre.
Career
Gordon Porterfield was the key playwright in residence at Baltimore's Corner Theatre ETCCorner Theatre ETC
Corner Theatre E.T.C. was an American experimental theater in operation from 1968–1987, a not-for-profit cultural organization located in Baltimore, Maryland, which provided resources for new playwrights, designers, directors, actors, dancers, and other artists seeking alternative means and...
, which was founded in 1968 by Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart
Ellen Stewart was an American theater director and producer and the founder of La MaMa, E.T.C. . In the 1950s she worked as a fashion designer for Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, and Henri Bendel.-Biography:Ellen Stewart was either born in Alexandria, Louisiana or Chicago,...
and Leslie Irons as an experimental theatre
Experimental theatre
Experimental theatre is a general term for various movements in Western theatre that began in the late 19th century as a retraction against the dominant vent governing the writing and production of dramatical menstrophy, and age in particular. The term has shifted over time as the mainstream...
whose principal goal was the production of new plays. Porterfield's output was impressive by any standard, creating literally dozens of works both short and full-length. Authors and the apocalyptic The Earth Is Dead - an evening of one-acts under the collective title Ratsfeet, were the first Porterfield plays offered by the theatre, followed in very short order with a full-length play Universal Nigger (1969), which told the story of a modern-day African-American Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, following his movements through the stations of the cross. The production was highly controversial and drew large crowds. The following year, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
's Chelsea Theater Center
Chelsea Theater Center
The Chelsea Theater Center was a not-for-profit theater company founded in 1965 by Robert Kalfin, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. It opened its doors in a church in the Chelsea district of Manhattan, then moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1968, where it was in residence for ten...
acquired the rights to Universal Nigger and produced it in their own space for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
audiences, under the direction of Robert Kalfin
Robert Kalfin
Robert Zangwill Kalfin is an American stage director and producer who has worked on and off Broadway and at regional theaters throughout the country. He is a former artistic director of the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the founder/artistic director of The Chelsea Theater...
. Gnomes, a collection of thirteen short one-act plays, was presented the following year. Director Michael Makarovich subsequently staged two Gordon Porterfield one-acts at Corner: The Catcher Was A Fag and I And Silence Some Strange Race; as well as an original teleplay entitled Tigers.
In 1972, Corner Theatre presented what many considered Porterfield's defining work for that time, a scatalogical romp down the Yellow Brick Road entitled whatisoneholycatholicapostalicbrownandstinksuptheuniverse. 1973 saw the production of another evening of one-acts, entitled Wolves. Chancre, a hallucinatory tour de force, was Porterfield's final offering at the Corner Theatre.
In 1987 The Yippie Book, Porterfield's instructional work for educators, was published by Perfection Form Co. Twelve years later, Porterfield came out of theatrical retirement with the critically acclaimed play Snow, which was performed at the completely reformed version of his old stomping grounds, the Fells Point Corner Theatre.
Related Articles & Misc.
- "The Corner Theatre as a Cultural Oasis: Or will Yosemite Sam Find Happiness In The Vast Sahara Desert?" Performance, Baltimore's Weekly Newspaper on July 13, 1972 (Vol I, #5)
- "The Corner Theatre: Its Audience, Its Intention, Its Future in Baltimore" Baltimore Jewish Times - 2/2373
- "A Conversation with Richard Flax" Praxis, Quarterly Publication of the Community College of Baltimore - Winter, 1970 (Vol 3, #2)
External links
- La MaMa Official Website
- Online Reproduction of Steve Yeager's article (w/ links to photographs) about Corner Theatre "The Corner Theatre as a Cultural Oasis: Or will Yosemite Sam Find Happiness In The Vast Sahara Desert?"
- Gordon Porterfield's post-Corner Theatre ETC play Snow (1999), reviewed by the Baltimore City Paper
- Robert Kalfin page at the Internet Broadway Database
- The Chelsea Theater Center at the Internet Broadway Database