A black and white drawing of a person in a hat screaming, with wide eyes and an open mouth. The background repeats the word “PANIC” in all caps.

Prep School: Richard Foreman

a pillar of downtown New York City theater

Richard Foreman’s work is a pillar of downtown New York City theater, and is known for its avant-garde explorations of live performance. Dive into this page to learn more about Foreman’s life and some of his most well known works, and check out the semester-long lobby exhibit in the Skirball Theater: “Richard Foreman Wants You to Wake Up”, presented by NYU’s Archives Onstage.

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Get Thee to the LIbrary

Recommended readings on the work of Foreman.

  • Martin Harries, Richard Foreman and the Ends of an Avant-Garde, 2004.
  • Martin Puchner, Manifesto = Theatre, 2002
  • Richard Schechner, Richard Foreman, Richard Foreman on Richard Foreman: An Interview, 1987
  • Sara Farrington, Power & Punk: New York’s Avant-Garde Lifers: Richard Foreman with Sara Farrington, 2020

All About Richard

Richard Foreman

Eric Bogosian for Bomb Magazine | April 1, 1994

“Since then, I have seen a number of his creations and have been enthralled every time. They are beyond imitation, almost beyond description or analysis. They are fantastic machines emanating from the head of Richard Foreman.”

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Still Dreaming of the City of Light

Sarah Harrison Smith for the New York Times | April 19, 2013

“…he spends his Sundays at home, reading, watching television and ruminating on France and SoHo as they used to be.”

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A Movie Has No Plot. So What?

Manohla Dargis for the New York Times | Feb. 7, 2013

“…a fascinating thicket of images, sounds and ideas from the formidable avant-garde playwright and director Richard Foreman.”

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