Theater Guru Joseph Chaikin Dies at 67

Joseph Chaikin, well known as an actor, director, and founder of the Open Theater, died on Sunday of heart failure at his home in Greenwich Village. He was 67.

Chaikin was born in Brooklyn and schooled in Des Moines, Iowa before moving back to New York to pursue acting here; he studied at the Herbert Berghof studio and joined the Living Theatre in 1959. After leaving the Living Theatre, he founded the Open Theater in 1963. Devoted to the collaborative creation of theater and the investigation of the difficulties of human existence, the company proved to be an influential force in experimental theater in the 1960s and early 1970s. Chaikin directed more than 14 production for the Open Theater before it was disbanded in 1973.

Returning to acting, Chaikin appeared in Savage/Love and Tongues at the Public Theater. He also directed productions of Endgame, The Bald Soprano, The Leader. Recently, he directed Medea in California and Broken Glass in Atlanta.

Over the course of his career, Chaikin received the Vernon Rice Award, the Edwin Booth Award, six Obie Awards (including one for lifetime achievement), and two Guggenehim fellowships. He worked with such renowned theatrical figures as Samuel Beckett and Sam Shepard, staging works at the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Public Theater, the Yale Repertory, and many other venues in New York and across the country. He also wrote a book titled The Presence of the Actor.

Chaikin is survived by three sisters and a brother. A memorial service for him will be held at the Signature Theater this fall.