The Serpent

Go ahead — take the apple. A work of experimental theater that explores the biblical Book of Genesis while comparing it to the modern experience, The Serpent — winner of the 1969 Obie Award and arguably the most successful ensemble work ever created — was developed by Jean-Claude van Itallie in collaboration with Joseph Chaikin and the Open Theatre. The playwright describes the work as “a ceremony,” while the New York Times has called it “the seminal work of The Open Theater, America’s most important ensemble theatrical workshop.”