Joseph Chaikin & Sam Shepard: Letters and Texts, 1972-1984

by Barry Daniels (Editor), Sam Shepard, Joseph Chaikin

This absorbing collection of letters and monologues by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and actor Sam Shepard and Obie Award-winning actor and director Joseph Chaikin provides an extraordinary opportunity to view the creative process of two of contemporary American theatre's great innovators. "Insightful and fascinating."--San Francisco Chronicle

Genres: Theatre

251 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 1989

Reviews

[M. Sarki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a fascinating inside look at creating art from the perspective of playwright/actor/director. The letters are the most revealing and prove (once again) the warmth and thoughtfulness of the reclusive, and sometimes off-putting, Sam Shepard.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of correspondence (from which it seems plenty of entries have been excised - likely due to personal concerns) offers a genuinely fascinating portrait of collaboration by two artists whose shared interests included exploring the medium of theater in a very specific fashion. None of the works they collaborated on are ones of which I'm especially fond, but there's ultimately no denying the value of the creative pursuit that produced them.

Chaikin's "War in Heaven" monologue - as far as I can tell - has only been published here, but their prior collaborations - "Tongues" and "Savage/Love" - are both included in the "Seven Plays by Sam Shepard" collection, exactly as they're presented here.

An enlightening text that offers a perspective on Shepard that his other works don't in and of themselves, and that introduced me to Chaikin, who strikes me as a very kind and genuine person throughout. I certainly found their friendship much more compelling than their actual collaborations, and this document serves as an invaluable record of both.