La Ma Ma Experimental Theatre Club - From Playwright To Director

From Playwright To Director

The European tours seriously influenced the aesthetic of Stewart, who says, "I learned in 1965, that English is not the beginning and end of anything. Generally it's the ending, it messes you up." She also says that, "I found the plays that were the most visual were the ones people liked." These discoveries are linked to Stewart's shift in interest from the playwright to the director. Particularly in the 1970s, Stewart was interested in pairing playwrights and directors, acting as a kind of theatre matchmaker. She also had an interest in playwrights who directed or were solo performers. Stewart's 1970s shift in focus aligns well with the 1970s "historical" end of the original off-off Broadway movement. While La MaMa is the only off-off Broadway theatre of the core four off-off Broadway theatres that continues to function, La MaMa evolved, adapted, and enlarged itself past its original playwright focus.