The Screens

New York: Chelsea Theater Center, Circa 1971. Draft script for the US premiere of Jean Genet's 1961 play, which opened on November 30, 1971 and ran through December 25, 1971 at the Chelsea Theatre Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Genet began writing the play, about life in a poor village in French controlled Algeria, in 1955, and a version was published by L'Arbalete in 1961. Abridged versions of the play were performed in Germany in 1961, Vienna in 1963, and London in 1964. The first performance of the complete text, which contained 16 acts and lasted over 5 hours, took place in Stockholm in 1964, followed by the French premiere two years later. The Chelsea Theatre Center production employed 45 actors on a multi-level set, with elaborate costumes, and cost a reported $109,500, a huge sum for a non-Broadway production, which precluded the play from moving off-Broadway, despite overwhelmingly positive reviews and audience response.

Black titled Studio Duplicating Service wrappers, with a credit for playwright Genet. Title page present, undated, with credits for playwright Genet, and for the Chelsea Theater Center. 152 leaves, with last page of text numbered "16-14." Mimeograph duplication. Very Good plus, bound with two gold brads.

Jamison, RJ. Grayson Hall: A Hard Act to Follow. iUniverse, 2006, pp. 156-157.

[Book #143784]