Once upon a time, “The Study” was …

cc_evrymn-plybll_10-12-16 “School”, which was “The Theater of All Possibilities” and, before that, The Everyman’s Theater:

I stumbled across this interesting tidbit of cult history, while searching for something else: a play bill for sale – for a mere $125, this snippet of 70s-cult memorabilia could be yours!!!  Look closely, you’ll recognize some names.

Here’s the link: http://www.abaa.org/book/912324069

I found the write up particularly interesting … here’s some info about the illustrious and enlightened “school” days of yore:

Passport [unusual playbill for Tennessee Williams’ “Camino Real,” put on by the San Francisco-based Everyman Theater]“Everyman Theater, San Francisco. [1973], Eight-page program, about the size of a passport with dull green covers, attendee’s name written in as with a passport, accompanied by the signature of the ticket seller (Jack McRitchie), and a rubberstamp that one can imagine being applied with a flourish at the time of purchase. The Everyman Theater was a front for a Bay Area cult group led by Alex Horn and his wife Sharon Gans. The group, based on the philosophies of George Gurdjieff, would invite attendees to stay after the show for meetings, then to attend additional study groups, and before they knew it they could have the luxury of paying to toil on the communal ranch in search of spiritual liberation. There was a series of exposés of this group in various San Francisco publications of the late 1970s. This booklet does not mention anything about beatings, scheduled pregnancies or farm labor, but it does list all the performers and production staff, with a Note from the Director about the deeper meanings of William’s play. Horn and Gans are listed as producers.”

Isn’t that inspiring.

8 thoughts on “Once upon a time, “The Study” was …

  1. EllieB. says:

    Hilarious!!! If we knew then what we know now…

  2. The Gentle Souls Revolution says:

    I’m telling you … it’s a good thing I find irony and hypocrisy so amusing.

  3. Brad says:

    The theatre burned down-they then moved to the SF Tenderloin and opened TOAP.

  4. The Gentle Souls Revolution says:

    Brad, does that play bill look familiar?

  5. Rally Ho says:

    http://www.auditionupdate.com/?p=13257&s=3

    Read here about Alex’s son who is doing a smaller, creepy, version of this same scam, getting actors to fill the seats, and put on a show, in nyc, at 45th st. Theater.
    Apparently been doing it for years!

  6. Rally Ho says:

    And the proceeds go to? You guessed it!

  7. The Gentle Souls Revolution says:

    wow. the sins of the fathers are passed down, I hear …

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