Joseph Chaikin & Sam Shepard letters and texts, 1972-1984

Friends since 1964, correspondents since 1972, playwright Sam Shepard and director Joseph Chaikin established independent reputations - Chaikin with such Open Theatre landmarks as America Hurrah and The Serpent; Shepard with celebrated plays, including The Tooth of Crime - before becoming close collaborators in 1978. The texts of their remarkable creations - Tongues, Savage / Love and The War in Heaven - are included here, together with notes and - most important - the deeply personal, exploratory letters which detail their passionate pursuit of a new language for the stage.