February 29: A Night Out of Time
What a line-up at WRL’s A Night Out of Time party and benefit on February 29, 1996. The night featured poets and Fugs founders Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg; authors Quentin Crisp, Barbara Garson, Norman Rush; playwrights and theatre luminaries Karen Malpede, George Bartenieff, Judith Malina, and Hanan Resnikov with members of the Living Theatre; and more!
WRL staff member David McReynolds had spotted the upcoming leap day of 1996 and declared it “a night out of time” — a perfect theme for a WRL event. Many of the performers and readers were longtime WRL members or friends. In the case of Quentin Crisp, David became East Village friends with him, thus accounting for Quentin’s appearance and reading from his book The Naked Civil Servant. The Living Theatre performed their anti-death penalty work “Not In My Name,” which they also performed in Times Square or other public venues on the eve of executions in the U.S.
— Ruth Benn
Ruth was on the WRL staff from 1987-2000 and is a member of WRL’s 100th Anniversary History Committee.
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