Caffe Cino
Former theater in New York City (closed 1968) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caffe Cino was an Off-Off-Broadway theater founded in 1958 by Joe Cino. The West Village coffeehouse, located at 31 Cornelia Street, was initially conceived as a venue for poetry, folk music, and visual art exhibitions. The plays produced at the Cino, however, became most prominent, and it is now considered the "birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway".[1]
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| Address | 31 Cornelia St. New York City United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°43′52.6″N 74°00′10.5″W |
| Operator | Joe Cino |
| Type | Off-Broadway theatre |
| Opened | 1958 |
| Closed | 1968 |
| Website | |
| caffecino | |
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 9, 2017.[2]
Joe Cino was born into an Italian-American family, and moved from Buffalo, New York to be a dancer in New York City. After 10 years, he used his $400 in savings and opened the Caffe Cino Art Gallery.[3] Initially, Cino encouraged his friends to hang their artwork on the walls. That led to poetry readings, which led to staged readings and eventually to productions of plays.[4]
During the early days of the Cino, plays were produced on the floor. A makeshift 8x8-foot stage was later created using milk cartons and carpet remnants. Productions were initially limited to 30 minutes, and the audience could stand anywhere. The space was only 18x30-feet, and audience members often perched atop the cigarette machine.[3] Admission was one dollar, and audience members were offered a coffee and an Italian pastry along with the show.[4]
On Ash Wednesday, March 3, 1965, a fire destroyed the interior of the Cino. The building's structure was not affected. A new lighting system had been installed, along with the fireproofing of the Caffe's ceiling, which prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the tenement building.[5] The official cause of the fire was a gas leak, but some suspected that Cino's lover set the fire. The community raised money by staging benefit performances while the Caffe was closed for renovations.[1] Ellen Stewart, founder of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, offered Cino and his staff a space to continue Caffe Cino productions on Sunday and Monday nights at her theater.[5]
Joe Cino died three days after repeatedly stabbing himself in 1967.[3]
The Caffe Cino was an incubator for first-time directors, playwrights, actors, and lighting or set designers. Many continued to work in stage, screen, or both after the Cino closed. Notable contributors include:
- John Guare
- Sam Shepard
- Al Pacino
- Robert Dahdah
- Bernadette Peters
- Robert Heide
- Bette Midler
- Johnny Dodd
- Doric Wilson
- Jean-Claude van Itallie
- Rosalyn Drexler
- Marshall W. Mason
- Tom O'Horgan
- Charles Kerbs
- Magie Dominic
- Irene Fornes
- William Hoffman
- Tom Eyen
- Paul Foster
- Leonard Melfi
- Ondine
- H.M. Koutoukas
- David Starkweather
- Michael Warren Powell
- Mari-Claire Charba
- Robert Patrick
- Lanford Wilson
- Andy Milligan (playwright)[6]
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