In Manhattan in the 1960s, the Caffe Cino, a tiny coffee shop in the East Village, was one of the first off-off-Broadway theatres. It was an incubator for experimental and boundary-pushing theatre, but risks being forgotten as a key part of theatre history. The Caffe Cino Project at Knox College strove to bring the Cino back to life by recreating the space to stage four Cino plays. I designed costumes for all four, and provided costumes for the waiters, stage managers and others who populated the space. It was a vast undertaking, but a worthy one, and hopefully brought back a little bit of the Cino magic.
Photo credit Peter Bailey
Waiters at the Cino await their first round of customers
Channeling Joe Cino, Andrew Purvis reveals a risque ensemble to introduce the night's plays
In Jeff Weiss' A Funny Walk Home, Bill and Estelle inform the audience that they are attending a homecoming for their son, Steve, whom they incarcerated in a mental hospital for 13 years
Steve (left) meets his little brother Richie (right) for the first time
Steve rants to the attendees at his homecoming while Bill and Estelle look on nervously
In an act of vengeance, Steve stranges Estelle
In Robert Heide's The Bed, Jack (left) and Jim (right) contemplate the futility of life
In Tom Eyen's Who Killed My Bald Sister Sophie?, the barker welcomes the audience to a sideshow
Hanna and Arizona freeze in their trademark poses
Hanna swelters in the desert as her sister, Sophie, and a tour guide look on
Hanna confides with the audience as Sophie checks into their Egyptian hotel
In a flashback to their childhood, Sophie tries to read the Bible while Hanna complains about the exhibitionist bus driver
Sophie cuts out the tongue of Hanna's "long-lost son"
Hanna mourns Sophie after her death
In George Birimisa's Daddy Violet, Sylvie (left) finds her center while George (center) and Dan (right) try to warm up
Sylvie practices her radiation while Dan cracks George's back
George and Dan encourage audience members to sing the Name Game with them
